Pepperdine Voice Magazine

Winter 2008

Coach Julie Rousseau Brings Philosophy of Service to Waves Women's Basketball

Julie Rousseau, head coach of the Waves women's basketball team, learned a few things about the job from her grandfather, Sylvester Gordon, a former baseball and basketball coach.

"He strongly believed in using coaching as a platform to make a difference in a young athlete's life," Rousseau recalls. "I try to teach the players that it's not just about basketball, it's about who you will become in four years."

Rousseau brings that philosophy to life with the Pepperdine women's basketball team, one of the University's most active teams in community service. In November the team hosted the 2nd annual Time Out for HIV/AIDS Tournament to promote awareness and raise money for the disease. The event also benefited Malibu Presbyterian Church, which was destroyed by wildfire. In October they participated in a two-mile walk to support The Leukemia-Lymphoma Society, and on Thanksgiving, the team spent the day feeding the homeless in downtown Los Angeles. All of this, Rousseau believes, is the key to success not only in life but also on the court.

"At Pepperdine," she says, "we use the sport of basketball to teach life skills and prepare these young women to give back to this world."