Pronunciation - Elijah Pepper |
LinkedIn Profile
HONORS & AWARDS
• 2023-24 Big West Player of the Year
• 2023-24 NABC Reese's All-Star Game Selection
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2x NABC All-District First Team
• 2023-24 All-Big West Conference First Team
• 2023-24 Big West All-Tournament Team
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2022-23 Colby E. 'Babe' Slater Award for Male Athlete of the Year at UC Davis
• 2022-23 NABC Division I All-District 9 First Team
• 2022-23 All-Big West Conference First Team
• 2022-23 Big West Player of the Week (12/19/22)
• 2022-23 Preseason All-Big West Coaches Team
• 2021-22 All-Big West Conference Second Team
• 2021-22 Big West Conference Player of the Week (12/6/21)
• 2021-22 Preseason All-Big West Media Team
• 2020-21 All-Big West Conference Second Team
• 2020-21 Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week (2/15/21)
2023-24: Named Big West Men's Basketball Player of the Year... Became UC Davis' first men's basketball player to win the award since 2018 and only the third Aggie to earn this honor since joining the Big West... Averaged 20.7 points per game, the only player in the conference to average 20+ points... Led the Big West in steals, free throw percentage, three-pointers per game, and total three-pointers… Set UC Davis' career scoring record on Dec. 21 and climbed to second all-time in Big West history with 2,284 points... Also broke the program's career steals record with 222, including a career-high 56 this season... Averaged 20.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in conference play, being the only player to average three or more three-pointers per game… Became one of only 684 Division I players to surpass 2,000 career points, achieving this milestone against UC Irvine... Instrumental in UC Davis' 20-13 overall record and 14-6 mark in Big West games... Led the Aggies in scoring 19 times, averaging 21.5 points per game in wins and shooting 41% from three-point range… Joined on the All-Big West First Team by junior guard Ty Johnson, who made the Second Team... Earned First Team All-Big West honors for the second consecutive year... Ranked 27th nationally in scoring and led the conference in multiple statistical categories... Named to the NABC All-District First Team for the second consecutive season… Named a finalist for the 2024 Lou Henson National Player of the Year… Became just the third ever Aggie to compete in the prestigious NABC Reese's All-Star Game, joining former Aggies Corey Hawkins (2015) and Dominic Caligari (2010)… Signed a multi-year professional contract following the season with NBL’s Perth Wildcats.
2022-23: Appeared in 31 games, putting put together the best scoring season in UC Davis history... Broke a 35 year old single season scoring record set by Randy DeBortoli after finishing the season with an all-time Aggie best, 697 total points on an efficient .449 field goal percentage for the season... Became just the sixth Aggie to ever receive NABC Honors... Averaged 22.5 points per game, ranking fourth among NCAA Div. I leaders... Scored 30 or more points in seven games while scoring 20 or more in 21 games... Tied his career-high mark of 32 points four times on the season... Had a torrid stretch of games that started on Jan. 26 at CSU Bakersfield, recording a season and career-high six three pointers against the Roadrunners to give him 28 points. The stretch saw Pepper light up the nylon for a seven game stretch of scoring 28+ points per game with the last four of that stretch, all being 30+ point outputs... Led the Aggies in three major statistical categories: points (22.5 PPG), rebounds (5.9 RPG) and assists (3.4 APG)... Among the conference, he ranked first in scoring average, field goals made, free throws made, third in steals per game, eighth in assists per game, and 11th in rebounds per game... Along with his nationally ranked fourth highest scoring average, ranked 17th in the country in free throws made, and 34th in field goals made... All-Big West First Team Selection... NABC Division I All-District 9 First Team... Recipient of the Colby E. 'Babe' Slater Award for UC Davis' Male Athlete of the Year.
2021-22: Led UC Davis in scoring with career-high 15.1 points per game...Fifth in the Big West Conference in scoring, second in steals, and second in threes per game at 1.6 and 2.3 respectively...One of nine players in the conference to score 30 points in a game and one of 11 30-point performances overall...Scored 30 points to lead UC Davis to a win over Pacific on Dec. 1, scoring UC Davis' final 13 points of the game and going 6-11 from three...20 double-digit scoring games...Averaged career-best 5.4 rebounds per game...129 total rebounds was also a career-high.
2020-21: Will not use a year of eligibility, and maintain his current status, due to the NCAA’s COVID-19 policy… Ended the season with six top NCAA individual rankings: No. 25 in steals per game (2.11), No. 120 in total steals (38), No. 201 in three-point field goals per game (2.06) No. 221 in field goal percentage (.423), No. 246 in minutes per game (32:58), and No. 281 in points per game (14.7)… One of four Big West players to score 30 or more points in a single game, a feat that took place when he finished with 32 points vs. Long Beach State (2/13)… That is the highest individual single-game point total by any Big West player throughout the 2020-21 season… Collected six steals against Hawai’i (3/5), another single-game league high… Scored 20 or more points in three games: 32 vs. Long Beach State, 23 vs. UC Santa Barbara (1/30) and 20 at UC San Diego (1/23)… One of two Aggies who collected 10 or more rebounds in a single game, an accomplishment that took place against Hawai’i (3/6) when he finished with 11… One of only two sophomores (teammate Ezra Manjon is the other) named to the All-Big West First or Second Team… One of the Big West’s most well-rounded players held top individual stats in seven categories, against conference competition since the Aggies non-conference games total was the lowest in the league: No. 1 in steals (2.50/gm.), No. 2 in scoring (16.60) and three-point field goals made (2.60), No. 4 in three-point percentage (.464), No. 5 in free throw percentage (.897), No. 7 in defensive rebounds per game (4.50) and No. 8 in total rebounds per game (5.90)… Three of his four field goals in UC Davis’ Big West Tournament semifinal were from three; he scored 13 points vs. UCSB (3/12) that evening… Recorded his first double-double as an Aggie when he finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in his team’s season finale vs. Hawai’i (3/6)... Led all players in the series opener vs. the Rainbow Warriors by scoring 19 points (3/5)... Responsible for six of his team’s 10 steals that game; that is the highest single-game steals total vs. a Div. I opponent since Tyrell Corbin recorded six vs. UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 26, 2012... Named Big West Player of the Week, for the first time in his career, by setting four new career highs vs. Long Beach State (2/13): 32 points, on 11 field goals — a total that includes six baskets from distance — and five steals… In that series versus the Beach, he shot 47 percent overall, 60 percent from three, averaged 23 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game… Led all Aggies with 18 points, on 70 percent shooting (7-for-10) overall at CSUN (2/6)… Hit a career-high four shots from three and collected a season-high nine rebounds for the second time this season in that same game… Posted a career-high 23 points in UC Davis’ series finale vs. UCSB (1/30)… A season-high three of his eight baskets were scored from three… Finished with three steals for the third time in the last four games that afternoon… Entering the team’s Big West opener versus UC Santa Barbara (1/29), Pepper scored 10 or more points in the team’s last four straight games… Scored a career-high 20 points, on 9 of 15 shooting, and collected three steals for the second night in a row at UC San Diego (1/23)… Connected on 5 of 8 shots to finish with 14 points vs. William Jessup (12/4)… Hit half of his 10 shots to finish with 13 points, collected six rebounds and three steals vs. Idaho State (11/28) at the Bronco Invitational — the Aggies’ season-opening tournament.
2019-20: Ended his true freshman season with four individual Big West rankings: No. 5 in steals (1.16 spg), No. 9 in rebounding (5.22 rpg), No. 11 in defensive rebounds (3.69 drpg) and No. 12 in offensive rebounds (1.53 orpg)... Led UC Davis in rebounding in 14 games; posted a team-high steals total in 14 games... Collected a single-game team-high 10 rebounds vs. VMI (11/17) and at San Diego (12/14)... Finished with a game-high seven rebounds and 11 points vs. Hawai’i (3/5)... A career-high eight of his 14 points were earned at the line at Cal Poly (2/20)... Scored 13 points at Cal State Fullerton (2/8) — one of six Aggies who finished in double figures... Nearly earned his first double-double as an Aggie by finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds vs. Cal State Fullerton (1/22)... Shot 6 of 10, finished with 15 points and six rebounds at CSUN (1/18)... Scored a career-high 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting at Long Beach State (1/16)... Recorded the third double-figure scoring total of his career by hitting 6 of 13 shots overall, and connecting on his one free throw vs. UC Riverside (1/9)... Finished with a career-high six assists at New Mexico (12/29)... Two of his three baskets were hit from three vs. LMU (12/16); finished with 10 points — the second double-digit total of his career... Notched his second double-digit rebound total of the season by finishing with 10, and fell one point shy of posting the team’s inaugural double-double of the season at San Diego; also recorded a career-high three steals that night... Scored a career-high 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting overall and hit 4 of five shots from three at Utah (11/29)... Field goals made and three-point field goals made, at Utah, are new career highs... Became the first Aggie of the season to post a double-digit rebound total when he finished with 10 vs. VMI in his team’s Red Wolves Classic finale... Also set a new career high by earning five of the Aggies’ 20 assists against the Keydets... Finished with four points and a team-high six rebounds in his UC Davis home debut vs. William Jessup (11/7)... Scored four points on two field goals in his UC Davis debut at Loyola Chicago (11/5)... One of the Aggies’ seven newcomers and five true freshmen.
SELAH HS '19: Led Selah High School to a 24-2 record and was named conference MVP for the second year in a row as a junior... Ended the 2017-18 season as Washington State 2A Player of the Year... As a freshman, Pepper averaged 21.1 points per game, scored 503 points, and played a key role in helping SHS win the first of three straight Central Washington Athletic Conference championships... The Vikings finished 20-4 that year thanks to Pepper's outstanding play on the court; those 20 wins nearly matched the total from the previous four seasons combined (21)... Pepper's debut season also included all-league first team honors, a district championship, and the first of four straight 20-win seasons... The 2016-17 campaign saw Pepper average 29 ppg by scoring a total of 753 points throughout the year — one that saw the Vikings successfully defend their league and district titles... Also earned during his sophomore season were the top individual honors in the state: league MVP, All-State first team and All-Tournament accolades... With Pepper leading the way, Selah High School's on-court success continued in 2017-18 with another CWAC crown, another deep state playoff run — the Vikings finished second and third during his sophomore and junior seasons — and an extensive individual honor roll that included his second-straight first team all-conference and league MVP honors, Washington State MVP and All-State first team recognition... In just three years, Pepper became the school's all-time leading scorer with more than 1,650 points to his credit — an accomplishment that was bound to take place sooner than later since he crossed the 1,000-point threshold midway through his sophomore season... Pepper also tied the school's single-game scoring record twice by finishing with 46 points.
PERSONAL: Born in Shepparton, Australia, before relocating to Washington, Pepper is the latest highlight of his family's strong basketball lineage since his dad and uncle both played professionally... Oldest of four children... Has two younger brothers, and a younger sister... His dad played ball at Central Washington University before competing as a professional in Australia... Most people do not know he was born in Australia... Graduating from Selah HS is his proudest personal accomplishment... The great facilities, people involved with the program, team's potential to succeed and outstanding relationships with the coaching staff were the reasons he chose UC Davis.
