Vance Walberg, like many Malibu residents, awoke Sunday to a knock on the door. The electricity was out, the wildfires were spreading and Pepperdine University would perhaps soon be in danger, given the unpredictability of the powerful Santa Ana winds.
"They just said everybody was being evacuated to the cafeteria," Walberg, the men's basketball coach at Pepperdine, told CBSSports.com on Sunday night. "So we were in the cafeteria for about an hour. But I have a hard time breathing around smoke, and it started to get to me. So I just took my family and my players and we all went to the other side of the hill where I felt it was a lot safer, to be honest with you."
When reached late Sunday, Walberg was in a hotel, his team scattered around the area with no real idea of when they'll reconvene. The fires -- which by Sunday night had already destroyed a 1,000 acres -- are expected to last at least a couple of more days, so the Waves (who did not practice Sunday) likely won't be returning to practice Monday, and for a team that will heavily rely on newcomers this is not an ideal way to prepare for the Nov. 10 opener at Oregon.
"We're shut down," Walberg said. "We can't even get back to get gear or anything (because the Pacific Coast Highway is closed). So we just don't know anything right now. We don't know when we'll practice again. And you know us, we can't afford to lose any practices."
At that, Walberg laughed -- and it sounded more like a this-has-been-a-crazy-weekend laugh than a boy-this-is-hilarious laugh. For those not following the college basketball headlines, the weekend started with Pepperdine's top returning scorer, Kingsley Costain, being dismissed from school Friday for a violation of university policy. Then less than 48 hours later, wildfires were destroying the area, displacing the Pepperdine basketball team along with thousands of other Malibu residents.
Can anything else go wrong, coach?
"Don't even ask," Walberg said. "Please. I'm afraid. Don't even ask."
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