Lorenzo Romar is returning to Pepperdine as its men's basketball coach, the school announced Monday.
Romar, who currently serves as the associate head coach at Arizona, was the Waves' coach from 1996-97 to 1998-99 before leaving for Saint Louis and eventually Washington, where he spent 15 seasons leading the Huskies.
"My comfort level with [athletics director] Steve Potts and President [Andrew] Benton played a huge role in my decision to return to Pepperdine," Romar said in a statement. "I grew up in Southern California, and at this point in my career it was my preference to stay on the West Coast.