Pepperdine has finalized a deal to hire Virginia associate head coach Griff Aldrich as the Waves' new men's basketball coach, the school announced Thursday.
Aldrich led Longwood to a pair of NCAA tournaments as a head coach, going 127-100 in seven years there. He takes over a Pepperdine program that hasn't reached the NCAA tournament since 2002 when Paul Westphal was the coach.
"We were looking for a leader who could build something meaningful and sustainable," athletic director Tanner Gardner said. "Griff's passion for developing young men, his proven ability to transform programs, and his alignment with our mission make him the right person to lead Pepperdine Men's Basketball. His record of success speaks for itself, and we're excited for the future under his leadership."
One of the things that attracted Aldrich to the Waves brass was his unconventional background. He's a Virginia law school graduate who spent 16 years working in the private sector in both law and business.
His private sector experience includes time at the Houston-based law firm of Vinson & Elkins, where he eventually became a partner. He advised clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and private equity transactions. He then started his own company and later served as the managing director and chief financial officer of an energy company.
In 2016, he began working at UMBC with Ryan Odom before taking over as the head coach at Longwood.
Aldrich's ability to build a program at Longwood loomed large for Gardner, as Aldrich spent seven seasons there, including the program's first Division I NCAA bids.
"The opportunity to build a championship-caliber program within a university that promotes faith, academics, and excellence is tremendously exciting for our family," Aldrich said.