Pepperdine to name Marty Wilson as the New Head Coach for the Men's Basketball Team

men’s basketball associate head coach Marty Wilson will be introduced as the new head coach of the Waves at a press conference Friday morning, Peppedine announced Thursday. Wilson, a former Pepperdine point guard and assistant coach, returned to the team nearly three years ago with the intention he would succeed Tom Asbury as head coach.  

The following is an edited release from Pepperdine:

Pepperdine University announced today that men’s basketball coach Tom Asbury is retiring and that associate head coach Marty Wilson will be introduced as the Waves’ new head coach at an on-campus press conference on Friday.

Asbury, who had previously overseen some of the Waves’ most successful teams as head coach for six seasons from 1989-94, was asked to return to Pepperdine in February 2008 when the program was at a very low point. In the 14 years between Asbury’s head coaching jobs at Pepperdine, the school went through seven head coaches (including interim). At the time of Asbury’s return, the program was facing sanctions from the NCAA due to its Academic Progress Rate, and nearly an entire new roster of players had to be recruited.

Though the Waves were limited to a total of 28 wins the past three years, Asbury has brought a renewed sense of optimism to the program. Student-athletes were brought in that could succeed at Pepperdine, and the team’s overall GPA has soared. The Waves improved to 12 victories this past season, the most the program has seen since 2004-05.

Bringing long-term stability to the program was also a key factor in Asbury’s return. Soon after Asbury’s re-hiring, Wilson joined the staff with the intention that he would one day be Asbury’s successor. Three years later, that time has come.

More on Marty Wilson

Wilson, 44, just finished his 21st season as a college coach, which also included stops at San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Utah.

He was a four-year letterwinner who graduated from Pepperdine in 1989. He’s coached in Malibu for a total of nine seasons, the last three as associate head coach and six earlier seasons (1991-96) as an assistant. During the final season of his first coaching stint in Malibu, he stepped in as interim head coach for the final 13 games.

During his first six seasons on the Waves’ staff (the first four of which were under Asbury), he helped Pepperdine to a 106-72 (.596) record. He began as the restricted-earnings coach before being elevated to full-time status for the 1994-95 season. He was hired back at Pepperdine in February 2008.

With Wilson on the staff, Pepperdine earned bids to the NCAA Tournament in 1991, 1992 and 1994 and made the NIT in 1993. The Waves also won West Coast Conference regular-season titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993 and WCC Tournament titles in 1991, 1992 and 1994.

Following Asbury’s departure for Kansas State after the 1993-94 season, Wilson remained on the staff under new head coach Tony Fuller. When Fuller resigned midway through the 1995-96 season, Wilson took over at the age of 28 on an interim basis and directed the Waves to a 3-10 record down the stretch. Most notably, that included an upset of a Steve Nash-led Santa Clara team in the first round of the WCC Tournament.

Wilson stayed in Southern California for the next several years, spending two seasons (1996-97 and 1997-98) as an assistant coach at San Diego, where he was also the recruiting coordinator.

He spent the next six seasons (1999-2004) at UC Santa Barbara, and was the top assistant as the Gauchos averaged 18 wins a season during his last three years there. UC Santa Barbara won the Big West Conference’s West Division in 1999 and captured the 2002 Big West Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Gauchos won the Big West regular-season title and made an appearance in the NIT in 2003.

Prior to his return to Pepperdine, Wilson was an assistant for four seasons (2005-08) at Utah. During his first season, the Utes went 29-6, won the Mountain West Conference’s regular-season title, advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen and finished the year ranked 18th nationally by the Associated Press.

As a player with the Waves, Wilson ended his career in fifth place on the all-time assists list with 342 (he now ranks ninth). Under head coach Jim Harrick, Wilson was a backup point guard in 1984-85 and 1985-86, and the Waves advanced to the NCAA Tournament both seasons. A back injury sidelined Wilson for the entire 1986-87 campaign, but he took over as the starting point guard in 1987-88. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 17th game of the season, though the Waves still advanced to the NIT. Asbury took over as head coach in 1988-89, and Wilson’s extensive rehabilitation paid off as he returned to the starting lineup as a senior and led the Waves to a 20-13 record and the second round of the NIT.

He graduated from Pepperdine in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

A native of Pacoima, Calif., Wilson was a prep standout at Simi Valley High School. He was named the Marmonte League’s Most Valuable Player as a 1983-84 senior.

He and his wife, Mayra, have a daughter, Jessica, and a son, Jalon.