Top 5 centers in the WCC this past season
By Josh Horton
Jan 11, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Pepperdine Waves forwards Stacy Davis (5) and Brendan Lane (21) celebrate after a turnover by the San Diego Toreros during the second half at Jenny Craig Pavillion. Pepperdine won 69-65. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
No. 4 – Brendan Lane (Pepperdine)
Preseason rank: NR
By James Pigott
After three seasons at UCLA, where he played behind the likes of Drew Gordon, Nikola Dragovic, Reeves Nelson, the Wear twins, and Joshua Smith, Brendan Lane decided that coach Ben Howland wasn’t giving he him the opportunity he needed to showcase his skillset. So Lane transferred to Pepperdine where he was an integral part of Pepperdine’s surprise success in the WCC this season. While his scoring declined a bit towards the last couple of months of the season, his defense remained constant. He was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 2.4 blocks per game and 7.3 rebounds per game.
He was a physical presence on both ends of the floor with high skill level in the low post, which he finally got to showcase as a Wave. He never averaged more than 3 points per game at UCLA, and beat that figure by 10 points, at 13 points per game in his lone season at Pepperdine. The combination of Lane and Stacy Davis in the frontcourt was tough for teams to handle, and Lane brought his experience from playing in the NCAA tournament at UCLA to help create a winning culture at Pepperdine. He will be sorely missed by the Waves next season.