MALIBU, Calif. — Lorenzo Romar will step down as Pepperdine coach after six years when the Waves' season ends.
The ninth-seeded Waves (12-19) play No. 8 seed Pacific (6-25) in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament on Thursday in Las Vegas. Tigers coach Leonard Perry was reassigned to other duties at the university on Monday. Associate head coach Josh Newman will coach Pacific in the tournament.
The university said Tuesday that a replacement for Romar is being sought.
“Pepperdine benefited greatly from Lorenzo Romar's leadership, both on and off the court, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for the way he loved his players, our basketball program and the university,” said Tim Perrin, senior vice president of strategic implementation.
Romar is 117-56 in nine total seasons in Malibu. He previously coached three seasons at Pepperdine before leaving to take the top job at Saint Louis.
Romar, 65, spent 15 seasons at Washington, where he played collegiately. The Huskies won two regular-season conference titles and three Pac-12 Conference Tournament championships. He was a three-time league coach of the year.
Romar was on the UCLA coaching staff when the Bruins won the 1995 national championship under Jim Harrick.
