Why did a Torrey Pines High alum commit to PLNU hoops? ‘Home is greater than anything else.’

“I know who they are and the legacy they’ve been building – the last five years being PacWest
champions, going to the Sweet 16 three of the last four years,” Landrum said. “I just want to do
something for a super special city. That was a big part of my decision.”

PLNU head coach Justin Downer, who has led the program since 2023 and previously served as an assistant at Cal Poly, first recruited Landrum to Cal Poly and was the first college coach
Landrum spoke with while at Torrey Pines.

“I started recruiting Otto when he was probably 16, during the COVID era,” Downer said. “His
class of 2022 was special because all we could do was Zoom – no practices, no in-person
scouting, just talking to kids. Otto and I developed a good relationship.

“He’s been in our gym for open runs every summer at Point Loma – it’s not organized or run by
us, but we bump into each other. When he entered the transfer portal, it felt like we were both looking for each other … I’ve known Otto for eight years now, so that familiarity, both as a coach and a player, made this opportunity really attractive to both of us.”

Landrum, a 6-foot-9 forward, averaged 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game over three
seasons at Boston University. He redshirted his senior year after undergoing ankle
reconstruction surgery in November to repair three torn ligaments and tendon damage.

“I’m getting back into the playing part of my rehab, just getting used to it before summer
starts,” Landrum said.

At Torrey Pines, Landrum was named the 2021–22 North County Coastal League Player of the Year after averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game. He also received All-CIF First Team and All-State Second Team honors. As a junior, he averaged 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds, helping the team finish as state runner-up.

Of his high school basketball career, Landrum called Nick Herrmann’s game-winning 30-foot
heave at the buzzer in the 2021 CIF Open Division Section championship his favorite memory.

The shot gave Torrey Pines an emotionally charged victory over rival Cathedral Catholic, which had beaten them in the same game the year before, and capped a storybook season for
Herrmann, who had returned to the court after battling cancer – a season made all the more
poignant when Herrmann passed away at age 20 after the disease returned.

“That’s probably the greatest memory I’ll ever have in my entire life,” Landrum said.

A year after adding 12 new faces to the roster, PLNU is again rebuilding. Weeks removed from a 73-58 loss to Cal State East Bay in the SoCal Regional, the Sea Lions have already seen
key contributors – Caden Harris, Jaden Matingou, Andrew Hommes and David Scariano – enter the transfer portal.

“(Getting Landrum is) huge in terms of his talent and size,” Downer said. “It’s not hard for us to
get Division I transfers – we’re at a place and location that’s pretty appealing. What’s harder is
finding players who want to be part of something bigger than themselves. He said the things
that align with our program.”

Landrum singled out PLNU returner Andrew Nagy – another 6-foot-9 forward and the reigning PacWest Player of the Year.

“He’s a beast. I’m really excited,” Landrum said. “I love the two-big system. I grew in that
system at BU, so I’m used to it. Being able to play with somebody as good as him is going to be
so much fun. I know how to mesh well with another big guy.”

Downer added, “Pairing him with Andrew Nagy in the frontcourt gives us two of the most
talented players in the league in one lineup – something different than we’ve had in the past.
We’re excited to lean into that, using our size and ability in the paint to continue building on
what we already have going.”