LEARNING TO HANDLE IT; SHEPPARD ADJUSTS TO THE WAVES.

Byline: Scott Wolf Daily News Staff Writer

Pepperdine's Nick Sheppard is supposed to be one of the tallest players on a basketball court, but 6-foot-11 centers are not supposed to be expert handlers at dog shows.

That's a sight spectators at competitions in Louisiana witnessed regularly, when Sheppard would bring one of his trained rottweilers across the stage. A judge might have more trouble keeping his eyes off Sheppard and on the dog.

``People looked at me pretty funny,'' Sheppard said. ``But I was pretty good at it. I did dog shows, obedience training, stuff like that. I really like animals. I had my own rottweiler.''

If he could only develop some of a rottweiler's personality, he might become a dominating player. Sheppard transferred to Pepperdine from Louisiana State last year and has been a promising if sometimes mellow performer during his junior season.

Although he was slowed by a stress fracture in his left foot and considers himself only 80 percent recovered, Sheppard has given the Waves a valuable inside presence.

His play will be crucial for the Waves this weekend when they play San Francisco on Saturday in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament in Santa Clara. Pepperdine (18-11, 9-5) needs to win the tournament to make the NCAA Tournament.

Among Sheppard's personal highlights was Pepperdine's 62-55 loss to Kansas, when he helped hold highly regarded 7-foot center Eric Chenowith to 10 points and four rebounds. Sheppard had a game-high eight rebounds.

``It gave me a chance to go out there and show what I had,'' Sheppard said. ``I showed I can play with people of any caliber.''

Performances like that might become more regular with a little more anger, at least according to coaches.

``He still needs to be more enthused. He's very laid-back,'' said former USC coach Bob Boyd, who was an assistant at LSU during Sheppard's sophomore year. ``I wanted Nick to take more of the air of (ex-Chicago Bears linebacker) Mike Singletary. He's the kind of guy that needs to be prodded with a stick. He can deal with it, though, if he knows you can help him.''

Boyd said he eagerly watches Pepperdine games on TV because he worked so hard to turn Sheppard into a solid player.

``He had been labeled as an underachiever and unenthusiastic at LSU,'' Boyd said. ``He made great progress. I think it's been a good move for Nick. He needs coaching. He's responsive. He's receptive to coaching. He's not lazy.''

Sheppard would still be at LSU if longtime coach Dale Brown hadn't left under strained circumstances two years ago. But when Brown was replaced by John Brady, Sheppard felt uncomfortable in Baton Rouge.

``My heart wasn't there anymore,'' Sheppard said. ``After coach Brown left, I wasn't comfortable with (Brady). I felt loyal to coach Brown.''

Sheppard knew he wanted to transfer and knew he wanted to live in Southern California. Remembering that Waves coach Lorenzo Romar had recruited him in high school, Sheppard contacted Pepperdine.

Although Sheppard attended high school in Lake Charles, La., he had lived in Los Angeles until he was 13. But his mother sought a quieter lifestyle for the family and moved to Louisiana. It seemed natural that Sheppard should attend LSU, until the tumultuous sophomore season that saw star player Lester Earl transfer to Kansas and Brown depart. The Tigers eventually received NCAA penalties over the recruitment of Earl.

``It wasn't really a circus. We were still focused on making the most our season,'' Sheppard said.

Sheppard's positive nature was one reason Romar decided to take another transfer on his team, which at the time included former UCLA center omm'A Givens, former Cal guard Jelani Gardner and former Arizona State guard Tommie Prince.

``I talked to Bob Boyd and he said Nick was a great guy and talented,'' Romar said. ``He's just a really genuinely nice guy. Kind of fun loving.''

The adjustment from the Southeastern Conference to West Coast Conference hasn't been easy.

``It's been up and down. It's tough for me to come back from that year off,'' Sheppard said, ``especially coming to this league. Down there it's a rough game. Here, they're not as physical. I have to change my game around for the refs.''

It's also been difficult getting used to playing in front of 1,500 fans after going to places like Rupp Arena in Kentucky and playing before 23,000. And Pepperdine is a much smaller campus than LSU.

``It's been hard at times. But it's good for athletes. There's no other distractions,'' Sheppard said. ``It can be frustrating. Last year, during El Nino, it shut down the whole campus. I didn't leave campus for nearly a month. Sometimes I would sit there thinking, `How could I get stuck here with nowhere to go?' ''

Things have improved since Sheppard became eligible this season. He's moved to Woodland Hills, so he isn't confined to just the campus and feels like he's finally starting to reach his basketball potential.

``I came in here expecting big things to happen. We have a good nucleus,'' Sheppard said. ``It's been tough to adjust but that makes me stronger. As the games have progressed this season, my confidence has really grown.''

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PHOTO ``It's been up and down. It's tough for me to come back from that year off, especially coming to this league. Down there it's a rough game. Here, they're not as physical. I have to change my game around for the refs.''

- Nick Sheppard

Pepperdine's 6-foot-11 center

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News