Senior Series: Lorne Jackson

Without Head Coach Marty Wilson and senior guard Lorne Jackson, the steady foundation with connection to Pepperdine's past, the 2012-13 Waves may have fallen apart. Wilson has been involved with the organization for decades now. Prior to this past season, Jackson had already spent four seasons in Malibu. Due to a torn ACL, during the offseason after his junior year, he missed the 2011-12 season.

Injury kept Jackson off the court for a season, but it's also what got him more time in the court in the first place. To start his freshman season Jackson averaged just 8.3 minutes per game. In the fourth game of the year, when Senior guard Ryan Holmes sustained an injury, Jackson was thrust into the starting role. In 13 games without Holmes, Jackson was the starter and averaged 22.6 minutes.

Jackson's experience as a starter while just a freshman would no doubt pay dividends as his career progressed. He sits on multiple career lists in Pepperdine history, thanks in part to the early minutes he received. Only former teammate Mychel Thompson, who has been back and forth between the NBA and D-League, ranks ahead of Jackson in games played.

His 159 steals puts him at fourth all time in program history. He ranks 20th in points with 1,297. Experience gave him not just records, but also a leadership role. Jackson's leadership was huge for the young and inexperienced Waves of 2012-13.

Just how inexperienced was this past season's Waves squad? Take a look, click on the chart for the full size view.

That chart shows the six returning players for the Waves at the start of the 2012-13 season, their total minutes played and the percentage of the total returning minutes they account for. Lorne Jackson represented 43.3% of the returning minutes for the Waves this past season. What's more, of the five players listed in this chart, four of them (Baker, Skouen, Ochenje and Maehlen) had never played with Jackson, as they were all sophomores or, in Maehlen's case, a transfer. 

Jackson helped keep this team from being a disaster. The Waves have a bright future with their young and talented roster. The young and talented team had to make it through this season to get there, though.

 "We want high character guys here, that's important," Coach Wilson said of Jackson, "Lorne's a high character guy that we wanted to be a part of our program." Stacy Davis elaborated by saying that Jackson "leads by example". Davis is the reigning WCC Newcomer of the Year.

It's impressive that Jackson was able to lead this team in the first place. Not only did he recover from the aforementioned torn ACL in his right knee, but he had already recovered from a torn ACL in his left knee. Between his freshman and sophomore seasons Jackson suffered a similar injury, in his left knee, but he recovered in time to play every game of his sophomore year.

Jackson has a place in the Pepperdine record books. He has on the court performances to be remembered by. However, his place in Pepperdine history may just be the impact he had on this young crop of Waves.