HOLLYWOOD — Mike Hornbuckle is adjusting in a hurry.

Away from basketball games for a year, Hornbuckle has immersed himself in the Say No Classic, an NCAA-approved summer league. The league is a good fit for the active Hornbuckle, considering its up-tempo pace and non-stop action. Players from big-name schools are participating, including Alex Stepheson of North Carolina, Darren Collison of UCLA and Jamal Boykin of California.

Hornbuckle, who sat out the 2006-07 season after transferring from Azusa Pacific, is preparing for his junior year at Pepperdine with coach Vance Walberg's fast-paced style of play.

"I'm still kind of adjusting to it," the former Oaks Christian School graduate said. "It's been a while, obviously, since I've played in a game, especially jumping right back into the Say No league just 'cause it's so fast-paced. I'm just glad to be back and to be able to play in games again."

Hornbuckle is playing for Hanks Franchise Boys, a team featuring recognizable UCLA players Lorenzo Mata and Michael Roll. The team, 10 players deep, also features future Pepperdine teammates and incoming freshmen Malcolm Thomas, Tyrone Shelly and Tyler Tucker. Rico Tucker, who transferred to Pepperdine from Minnesota, is one of the team's point guards.

"It's one of the elite summer leagues for college players in the country, so I just wanted to get in it," Hornbuckle said.

The challenge for coach Rico Cabrera Jr. is finding playing time for everyone, but also creating lineups where players complement one another. Through practices, college teammates naturally played better together.

"I like his determination," said Cabrera Jr., who lost last summer's backcourt of Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young to the NBA Draft. "I know he can shoot very well. It's just finding those spots and being able to create situations for him to get his shot off."

Hornbuckle, in his best game, had four points and two assists in 16 minutes against the Sinclair Bruins. He had five points in 23 minutes in the season opener against Hank's Top Prospects.

Hornbuckle, 21, knew Rico Tucker's game as he also redshirted last season, but is learning tendencies of his new teammates — where they like to catch the ball and where they should look for it.

It has been a year of learning for Hornbuckle, who had to grasp the concepts of Walberg's "press and shoot" system called AASAA — attack, attack, skip (pass), attack, attack — that consists of constant running and pressing.

As much as Hornbuckle struggled with watching Pepperdine's 8-23 first season under Walberg, the 6-foot-3 guard says it will help him going into the 2007-08 season.

"As horrible as it was sitting out, I'm so glad that I had it just so I could get a year to understand what coach Walberg is trying to do and just better prepare myself for this year," Hornbuckle said.

Hornbuckle says he is confident Walberg's system, which was successful at the high school and community college levels, can translate to Division I basketball. Hornbuckle points to the up-tempo style employed by Memphis as an example. Memphis, under coach John Calipari, has made it to the Elite Eight each of the last two years.

"I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to play that way," Hornbuckle said. "It's a blast."

The attraction to Pepperdine for Hornbuckle was simple. He had spent two years at Azusa Pacific and wanted to test himself. Pepperdine offered Hornbuckle the chance to play on television, compete for a West Coast Conference Championship and potentially experience the NCAA Tournament.

"Once I told Azusa I was leaving, I didn't know where I was going to go," Hornbuckle said. "I had a couple ideas, but I was pretty set on San Diego until coach Walberg got hired at Pepperdine."

Now set to play, Hornbuckle says he's looking forward to next season's schedule that includes games at Oregon and Memphis.

Hornbuckle benefited from his time in the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference with Azusa Pacific, saying the competition is tougher than people think and the team's deep run into the postseason his freshman year made him better.

"I learned a lot, just being so young and being able to go that deep in a national tournament like that and being able to play against guys that were so much older than me and bigger than me. It was a huge experience and I gained a lot from that," Hornbuckle said.

At Pepperdine, Hornbuckle is playing with Tyler Carr, a Thousand Oaks High graduate, who averaged a point and a rebound per game last season after transferring from Moorpark College. Carr, who learned Walberg's system under Remy McCarthy at Moorpark, roomed with Hornbuckle and the pair bounced ideas off each other and supported each other through any frustration.

"I'm very very impressed with Mike's grit," Cabrera said. "He plays hard and he's very tough minded, tough nosed. Very much a team player."