Wilson may be riding Waves soon

Utah assistant coach Marty Wilson could be leaving to become an assistant coach at Pepperdine, his alma mater, with the chance to eventually become the head coach in the next couple of years.

Reports from California have former Waves coach Tom Asbury coming out of retirement to take the job at the end of this season. Vance Wahlberg was hired two years ago but abruptly resigned last month and was replaced by interim coach Eric Bridgeland.

Wilson, who is in his fourth year as a Ute assistant, said "there's a chance" a scenario will work where he goes to Malibu to assist the 62-year-old Asbury for a couple of years before taking over as head coach.

He said he is going down to California after the New Mexico game Saturday to meet with Asbury, athletic director John Watson and "some other people." Wilson said he definitely wouldn't leave Utah until this season was completed.

"We're going to discuss all the parameters and what it would take to get me down there," Wilson said. "I don't know many of the details right now."

Wilson believes Asbury will be announced as the new Pepperdine coach on Wednesday. Wilson said he is loyal to Utah and wouldn't leave without an agreement to be Pepperdine's head coach in the near future.

The 41-year-old Wilson played at Pepperdine from 1984-89 and was an assistant there from 1990-96, taking over as the interim head coach for the last two months of the '96 season. After that, he was an assistant at the University of San Diego for two years and UC-Santa Barbara for six years before coming to Utah in 2004.

Wilson was hired by coach Ray Giacoletti and, after three years, was kept on the staff by Jim Boylen when he took the Utah coaching job. Wilson was one of the finalists for the Pepperdine job before Wahlberg got the job two years ago.

CONFIDENCE IN LUKA: Luka Drca has the worst turnover-per-minute percentage on the Ute team.

He also has the best assist-per-minute percentage on the team and by far the best assists-per-game average.

Coach Jim Boylen can put up with the former because of the latter.

"I feel comfortable with Luka Drca having the ball in his hands at the end of the game," said Boylen.