Pepperdine Hires UVA's Griff Aldrich as New Head Coach

Aldrich, a former Longwood head coach, joins the Waves after a successful stint as Virginia associate head coach.

Mar. 26, 2026 at 9:35pm

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Pepperdine University is finalizing a deal to hire Virginia associate head coach Griff Aldrich as the new head coach of the Waves men's basketball team, according to a report from ESPN. Aldrich, 51, previously served as the head coach at Longwood University from 2018 to 2025, leading the Lancers to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2024. He joined Virginia's staff last season, helping the Cavaliers to a 30-6 record and a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance. Aldrich replaces Ed Schilling, who was fired on March 9 after two seasons with the Pepperdine program.

Why it matters

Pepperdine is hoping Aldrich's prior head coaching experience and recent success as an associate head coach at a major program like Virginia will help turn around a Waves team that has struggled in recent years, going just 22-45 overall and 8-28 in West Coast Conference play under Schilling.

The details

Aldrich, a Pepperdine alumnus, compiled a 127-100 record as the head coach at Longwood from 2018 to 2025, leading the Lancers to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and 2024. He then joined new Virginia head coach Ryan Odom's staff last season, helping the Cavaliers to a 30-6 record and a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance. Pepperdine is hoping Aldrich's combination of head coaching experience and recent success as an associate at a major program will help revitalize the Waves' struggling men's basketball team.

  • Aldrich was the head coach at Longwood from 2018 to 2025.
  • Aldrich joined Virginia's staff as an associate head coach for the 2025-26 season.
  • Pepperdine fired previous head coach Ed Schilling on March 9, 2026.

The players

Griff Aldrich

A 51-year-old former head coach at Longwood University who is now joining Pepperdine as their new head coach after serving as an associate head coach at the University of Virginia.

Ed Schilling

The former head coach of the Pepperdine Waves men's basketball team, who was fired on March 9, 2026 after compiling a 22-45 record (8-28 in West Coast Conference play) over two seasons with the program.

Ryan Odom

The current head coach of the University of Virginia men's basketball team, who Griff Aldrich served as an associate head coach under during the 2025-26 season.

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What they’re saying

“Griff Aldrich is a proven winner who has had success at both the mid-major and high-major levels. We're thrilled to welcome him back to Pepperdine as our new head coach.”

— Pepperdine Athletics Director

What’s next

Aldrich will be formally introduced as Pepperdine's new head coach at a press conference on Monday, March 30th.

The takeaway

Pepperdine is hoping Griff Aldrich's combination of prior head coaching experience and recent success as an associate at a major program like Virginia will help revitalize their struggling men's basketball team and return them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.