Davis, Calif. — The definition of a walking bucket. Junior guard Elijah Pepper is no stranger to having his name etched into the record books.
In the Aggies final road game of the 2022-23 season at Cal Poly, Pepper would drill a three pointer at the 11:50 mark of the second half to give him 607 points for the season.
The 607 points to his name for the season holds so much significance as Pepper broke a 35 year old Aggie record for points scored in a season, that was set by Randy DeBortoli in the 1987-88 season. Having already joined the 1,000 career points scored club earlier in the season, the Aggies play-by-play announcer Scott Marsh said it best himself, "the great Eli Pepper continues to have one of the greatest seasons in UC Davis History."
Pepper was able to break the 35 year old record with a torrid stretch of games that started on January 26 at CSU Bakersfield. Recording a season and career-high six three pointers against the Roadrunners to give him 28 points, Pepper would go on a seven game stretch of scoring 28+ points per game with the last four of that stretch, all being 30+ point outputs. Even after his 30+ point game streak snapped this past Monday against UC San Diego, he still poured in 22 points against the Tritons and would finish the record breaking game against Cal Poly with 20 points.
Prior to this hot-streak, Pepper had other standout games including a 32 point showing on the road at LMU coming off an injury, another 30 against SEMO in the Cream City Classic over Thanksgiving break, and plenty of other 20+ games sprinkled into the mix with another important one being a 29 point game against the visiting Cal State Fullerton Titans to defend the University Credit Union Center.
Pepper's historic season isn't just spectacular by UC Davis standards. Bryan Mauro writes, "Those that have not seen (Pepper) play let me just fill you in, there is not a player at the mid-major level who has been playing better over the month of February." Pepper is currently the eighth ranked scorer in the country, averaging 22 points per game. He leads the Big West in scoring by a wide margin, as he is the only player to be averaging more than 20+ points per game in the conference. And just when you think his production all comes from scoring the ball, you'll quickly realize he has the total package for a basketball player, ranking among the top-five in assists, and steals in the Big West, while being the leading rebounder for the Aggies.
Pepper has put together this brilliant season, all while being the oppositions number one priority. Coach Jim Les says, "defenses are designed to stop him, he's number one on the hit-list and he still finds a way and produces." Les also adds that Eli is "an elite competitor and our hardest working player." Coach Les believes that these two characteristics combined, allow the team to feed off of Pepper and build something special not only for Elijah, but for the team as a unit, as they continue their pursuit for a Big West Championship in Henderson, Nevada.
Not slowing down any time soon, Pepper will still have two more games to add onto his single season scoring record. Finishing with 20 points at Cal Poly, Pepper now enters this Thursday against UC Santa Barbara with 617 points on the season, and 1,522 for his career, ranking fifth all-time for a career. He trails the fourth ranked Vince Oliver by just one point and trails the all-time Division 1 leader in points scored Corey Hawkins, by 172 points.
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
A Selah High star during his prep days, Pepper entered UC Davis with a laundry list of accolades already attached to his name before stepping foot on campus. The Washington 2A State Player of the Year in 2018, the all-time leading scorer for Selah High in just three years, and multiple All-State First Team appearances, Elijah has always seemed to excel in any situation thrown at him.
From a young age Pepper was exposed to the game of basketball and it shows. His dad Ryan, was a guard at Central Washington before playing professionally overseas for the Hobart Chargers in Australia. This is where Elijah's parents would uniquely enough meet each other, as she was the manager of the team during the time Ryan played for the Chargers. A dual-threat with his ability to score at all three-levels, and defend at a high rate, Eli is also a holder of dual-citizenship as he was born in Australia. It was during these early days as a child in Australia that Pepper would create his love for basketball.
Elijah states that "ever since (he) was able to walk," he's been all about basketball. Being drawn to it much more than any of the other sports he played as a kid, it might help when you are able to be around the game with parents who were able to experience it at the professional level. With a competitive fire and relentless spirit, to his game, its no surprise that Pepper has continued his growth as a player during his time with the Aggies.
From 5 A.M. workouts before school that started when he was in 7th grade, to the continuous harping from his dad about his shooting form, it was only a matter of time before Elijah made UC Davis his breeding ground for another career of history shattering numbers.
Skip ahead four years, and what you have is a two-time All-Big West Second Team member, who is on track to be the greatest guard in Aggie history. Pepper has exemplified "Aggie Pride" to the fullest and is the epitome of, "when you respect the game, the game gives it back to you."
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