Question Is One of Condition : Pepperdine: Christie has been cleared to play, but 6-6 guard appears to be somewhat out of shape.

Pepperdine’s Doug Christie, the most valuable player in the West Coast Conference last season, suffered torn cartilage in his right knee last March during a first-round conference tournament game against Portland.

His teammates closed ranks and went on to win the tournament. But they couldn’t overcome the absence of the 6-foot-6 senior guard in the NCAA playoffs, losing by 20 points to Seton Hall in a first-round game.

Christie has twice had arthroscopic surgery on the knee, shortly after the end of the season and again last summer after he was invited to tryouts for the U.S. Pan American Games team.

He was given medical clearance to play Nov. 4 and said afterward that the knee felt fine. But he added that he is concerned about his overall conditioning. He has gone from 195 to 210 pounds since March.

Said Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury: “He’s a long way from being game-ready. But he is trying so hard and puts such high expectations on himself. He is a perfectionist of sorts.”

Christie, who led the team last season with averages of 19.1 points, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals, said he won’t be himself until after the team’s first game Nov. 23 at Jacksonville. Asbury said it might take a few more games.

Christie probably will be more than ready when the conference schedule begins in January. Pepperdine, which has its other four starters back, is the consensus choice to win the WCC title again.

The other starters are 6-8, 245-pound senior power forward Geoff Lear; 6-6 sophomore forward Dana Jones; 6-8 sophomore center-forward Derek Noether, and senior point guard Rick Welch.

A two-time All-WCC selection, Lear led the conference in blocked shots with a 1.9 average and was second in rebounding with a 9.8 average last season. He also averaged 18.5 points. After Christie was injured, Lear took charge and was voted the conference tournament’s most valuable player.

Jones, who averaged 10 points and was fourth in the conference in rebounding with an average of 8.2, was voted WCC freshman of the year.

Noether had some good games as a freshman but was inconsistent. When his play went awry, Lear usually moved to center.

Welch made 53 of 116 three-point shots, fourth in the conference. Second-year sophomore Damin Lopez was less of a backup to Welch than an equal.

Other experienced players include 6-6 junior guard Steve Guild, sophomore guard Steve Clover and 6-7 junior forward Byron Jenson, a transfer from Texas San Antonio.

Mark Georgeson, a 6-11 senior center who was seriously injured in an auto accident early in 1990, has given up his comeback attempt. Sophomore guard Rodney Sanders is a redshirt this season.

Asbury said Noether might be the key to a successful season, adding: “If he can be good, so can we.” The coach also said the Waves will be a more solid team if Jenson is productive.

The team might not need more scoring from the point guard position, according to Asbury, but he said Welch and Lopez have to become more of a “perimeter threat to keep people honest.”

Asbury said he wants the Waves to run more, to be more diverse in their half-court offense and to put more defensive pressure on opponents.

Pepperdine Roster

No. Player Pos Yr Hgt Wgt 10 Steve Guild G Jr 6-6 205 12 Damin Lopez G So 5-8 150 13 Steve Clover G So 6-3 180 15 Rick Welch G Sr 6-0 170 21 Dana Jones F So 6-6 190 22 Mark Sterbens G Fr 6-1 200 32 LeRoi O’Brien F Fr 6-6 200 34 Geoff Lear F Sr 6-8 245 35 Doug Christie G-F Sr 6-6 210 41 Byron Jenson F Jr 6-7 205 52 Derek Noether F So 6-8 220

Coach: Tom Asbury

Pepperdine Schedule

ALL TIMES PACIFIC

Date Opponent Time Nov. 23 at Jacksonville 4:30 Nov. 26 Cal State Dominguez Hills 7:30 Nov. 30 Boise State 1:00 Dec. 3 Nevada 7:30 Dec. 7 at UCLA 7:30 Dec. 12 at Cal State Fullerton 7:30 Dec. 14 Montana 7:30 Dec. 20 Georgia Southern* 7:00 Dec. 21 Ala. Birmingham Invitational TBA Dec. 28 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 2:00 Dec. 30 Lafayette 7:30 Jan. 2 at Kansas 5:00 Jan. 11 Loyola Marymount 7:35 Jan. 16 at Gonzaga 7:35 Jan. 18 at Portland 7:35 Jan. 24 San Francisco 7:35 Jan. 25 St. Mary’s 7:35 Jan. 27 at UC Santa Barbara 9:00 Jan. 31 at St. Mary’s 7:35 Feb. 1 at San Francisco 7:35 Feb. 7 Santa Clara 7:35 Feb. 8 San Diego 7:35 Feb. 13 at San Diego 7:35 Feb. 15 at Santa Clara 7:35 Feb. 22 at Loyola Marymount 7:35 Feb. 28 Portland 7:35 Feb. 29 Gonzaga 7:35 Mar. 7 WCC Tournament (Portland) TBA Mar. 8 WCC Tournament TBA Mar. 9 WCC Tournament TBA

* Alabama Birmingham Tournament.