MBB: Hawai`i vs. UC Davis, Friday March 5 at 2 pm It's been great watching Elijah Pepper grow into a reliable starter for the Aggies. He's just solid in all phases of the game and, even though he does not possess exceptional quickness or length, he more than makes up for that with blue collar toughness and smart basketball.
He takes charges and he leads the league in steals because he knows how to position himself on defense and he gets into the passing lanes for steals. He dives for the 50/50 balls and isn't afraid to drive to the hoop in traffic and his fade away shot is improving by the game. He's become a team leader and, like Manjon, is only a sophomore. Les recruited him as a diamond-in-the-rough and he sure found a gem.