Meet the Redshirt’s: Pepperdine’s Marley Biyendolo

When it became common knowledge that Marley Biyendolo was signed with Pepperdine, no one was really quite sure what the Waves were going to get with him.

We knew he came from down under and rocked an awesome hairstyle, reminiscent of former Gonzaga guard Steven Gray. What Biyendolo, was going to bring to the basketball court was mostly a mystery for the Pepperdine faithful, however.

The Pepperdine fans were forced to wait another year to find out what Biyendolo was made of, as the Pepperdine coaching staff thought it was best to redshirt him for the 2014-2015 season.

The Waves hope Biyendolo is a better player because of it, and that he can make an impact as a second year freshmen this season for the program.

While in Australia

Biyendolo reaped the benefits of the underrated basketball scene in Australia, playing a lot of basketball against solid competition.

The 6-foot-3 combo guard was schooled at Cheltenham Secondary College, where he was a team captain and averaged 18.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists. On the club level, Biyendolo played for the Andrew Bogut Basketball Academy in 2012-2013 and played most of his youth basketball with the Dandenong Rangers.

While playing in the Victorian U-20 Championships, Biyendolo showed that he is a player that can do a little bit of everything, and averaged 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

Biyendolo also was able to attend the 2011 Asia Pacific Team Camp, where some of the top players from Australia, China, New Zeland and Korea were represented.

Impact at Pepperdine

By all accounts, Biyendolo was not quite ready to play his first season, and a redshirt season would be best so he could get acclimated with the Division I game.

Based on some highlight footage, Biyendolo’s potential is evident. He appears crafty and a good fit for the WCC with his shooting ability and offensive mindset. However, with two sophomore guards – Jeremy Major and Amadi Udenyi – performing so well in their freshman seasons, it must be wondered if Biyendolo will be buried on the depth chart.

My intial thought on the aforementioned concerned would be its too early to tell, and if Biyendolo is ready to make an impact he will see the floor and see it often.