San Bernardino native to assist at Pepperdine

Will Kimble, who served as an assistant coach for the Citrus College Men's Basketball team this season, has accepted a position on the Pepperdine University Men's Basketball Coaching staff for the 2008-2009 season. Kimble also becomes the third Citrus assistant coach in three years to except a position at the four-year level.

Kimble played at Pepperdine for two years before finishing his eligibility at UTEP.

“First of all I want to thank God, Dr. Andrew Benton, Dr. John Watson and Coach Asbury, as well as everybody in the athletic department at Pepperdine,” Kimble said in a press release issued by the Pepperdine Athletic Department. “It feels great to get back to the place where I began my college career, and I felt like this has always been my home. To have the opportunity to come back and contribute to this university, I’m just really, really honored. I take great pride in representing Pepperdine.”

Kimble, a graduate of Pacific High School in San Bernardino, played a pivotal role for Citrus during the 2007-2008 season, as he helped lead the Fighting Owls to their first ever California State Championship. Kimble, who played for and received his BA from Pepperdine, will be rounding out the Waves staff for Head Coach Tom Asbury who resumes the helm at Pepperdine this year after a previous 15 season stint (1980-1994) as both an assistant and head coach for the Waves.

“Hands down, I feel like the staff at Citrus could compete with anybody at any level,” Kimble said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better situation than last year with Citrus. These guys were the best, and I just tried to soak in all the knowledge and apply it to my own strengths. Coach Croy and his staff have left me with a wealth of knowledge, and I will keep the things they taught me and continue to remember the journey we shared forever.”

“Will is unbelievable,” Citrus College Head Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Croy said in the Pepperdine press release. “He’s destined for greatness in the coaching profession because he’s all about helping people get better. We were so fortunate to have him on staff this year. He’s an amazing role model and he just has a great feel for who he is and how to help other people find success and how to handle adversity.”

While the Fighting Owls have had great success in matriculating its players, since the arrival of Croy three short years ago. The Citrus College men’s basketball coaching staff has also been a great stepping stone for great coaching minds. Kimble follows in the footsteps of former assistants Jim Saia, who took the head coaching position at Fresno Pacific after last season, and Chris Victor, who took the top assistant coaching position at Concordia two years ago.