Cicic rides basketball wave, transfers to Pepperdine

Stefan Cicic’s NCAA Division I men’s college basketball journey is taking him from the bayou to the beach. Cicic recently transferred to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California after his redshirt freshman season at Tulane University (New Orleans).

“I have my high ocean view so it’s very beautiful,” joked Cicic, the 7-foot center and 2024 Riverside Brookfield High School graduate who was a two-time all-stater. “I went and liked it. They showed me their playing style and how it’ll benefit me. They basically showed me everything. I’m really blessed and California’s a beautiful place.”

Cicic opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal on April 22, the final day. He said he received 5-6 inquiries but Pepperdine was the only school he visited. Cicic committed on the spot. The recruiting visit was his first trip to California. Now Cicic is there throughout this month for summer basketball camp.  

“I kind of took a little gamble on myself [with the portal],” Cicic said. “A couple of [other inquiries] were eye opening but I had it set on Pepperdine.”  

Pepperdine is in transition also. This past season was the first for coach Ed Schilling. The Waves finished 13-22 (4-14 in West Coast Conference) but beat three higher seeds before losing in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament.

Schilling previously spent 13 years as an assistant coach at Massachusetts, Memphis, UCLA, Indiana and Grand Canyon, with those teams reaching the NCAA Tournament a combined eight times. The Waves last qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2002 in NBA Hall of Famer Paul Westphal’s first season as head coach.

“When I was on my visit, I liked how they treated me and how trustworthy they are,” Cicic said. “Watching film, how they play, I really like their playing style.

“Obviously, my goal is to play. The goal is to start. That would be everyone’s goal, do what I can to help out the team.” 

He is excited about Pepperdine’s flex offense, which he said has the big man scoring often in the post and passing from the top of the key. While also a solid perimeter shooter, Cicic remains committed to scoring inside.

“I’ve slimmed down a little bit, worked on my footwork, shooting, more fundamentals. I’m really focusing on my game every year to get better,” said Cicic, now 20 pounds lighter. “Oh yeah, I feel lighter, quicker, more bouncy. [But] I’d rather much play [center] because of my size.”

At Tulane, Cicic played in three of the Green Waves’ November games against Louisiana Christian, Louisiana-Monroe and Alcorn State, missing two shots in four total minutes. Tulane (19-15, 12-6 in American Athletic Conference) lost to USC 89-60 in their opener of the inaugural College Basketball Crown postseason tournament.

“I didn’t really want to waste my freshman year (eligibility) so I redshirted,” Cicic said.

At RBHS, Cicic was named Class 4A second-team all-state by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as a senior and junior after transferring from Niles Notre Dame. He also was the Metro Suburban Conference Player of the Year as a senior and MSC Blue Division Player of the Year as a junior.