Lorenzo Romar out as Pepperdine coach when season ends

Field Level Media|published: Tue 5th March, 21:54 2024

Jan 18, 2024; Malibu, California, USA; Pepperdine Waves head coach Lorenzo Romar looks on in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Firestone Fieldhouse. credits: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Pepperdine coach Lorenzo Romar's second stint at the school will end when the Waves' campaign concludes, the school announced Tuesday.

The Waves (12-19, 5-11 West Coast Conference) are one setback away from their third straight 20-loss season. Romar has spent nine seasons as Pepperdine coach with the current stint lasting six seasons.

Romar, 65, is 75-112 during his latest tenure and 117-156 overall at the campus in Malibu, Calif., that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. No. 8-seeded Pepperdine faces No. 9 Pacific in the opening game of the West Coast Conference tournament on Thursday in Las Vegas.

"Pepperdine benefited tremendously from Lorenzo Romar's leadership, both on and off the court, and we owe a debt of gratitude to him for the way he loved his players, our basketball program, and the university," Tim Perrin, senior vice president for strategic implementation, said in a news release. "The University thanks Coach Romar for his dedication to the men's basketball team, and wishes him the very best in his future endeavors."

The school said the search for a new coach is underway.

Romar's first Pepperdine stint was from 1996-99 before he spent three seasons at Saint Louis and 15 seasons at Washington. He took the Huskies to six NCAA Tournament appearances and also made one trip at Saint Louis.

Romar was dismissed by Washington after a 9-22 record in 2016-17. He returned to Pepperdine for the 2018-19 season.

Romar has a 466-396 record overall across 27 seasons.

—Field Level Media

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