COLLEGE BASKETBALL 1992-93 : PEPPERDINE PREVIEW : Will Waves Crash Without Christie and Lear?

Sitting in his basketball office on a Malibu hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Pepperdine Coach Tom Asbury was putting his job in perspective.

“I may not have the best job in the country, but I have the best view,” Asbury said.

Considering Pepperdine’s perch in the West Coast Conference standings the last two seasons, Asbury’s team has also enjoyed an impressive view.

The Waves have won a conference-record 33 consecutive games, two consecutive WCC titles and as many trips to the NCAA playoffs, and are once again regarded as the favorite, along with Gonzaga.

Pepperdine, which finished at 24-7 last season after losing to Memphis State during the first round of the NCAA tournament, was picked to win the WCC title in a poll of conference sports information directors, although Asbury is not so certain.

The Waves have five of their top eight players back but Asbury is concerned about filling holes left by two who are not coming back.

Graduation took all-conference players Doug Christie and Geoff Lear, the team’s top scorers last season.

Asbury said that Christie, the two-time WCC player of the year who was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics during the first round of the NBA draft, will especially be missed.

“There are only a couple of players in the country who can create a shot against any player they face, and that’s what Christie could do,” Asbury said. “We don’t have that this season, but not many teams do.”

Asbury will try to replace Christie and Lear by committee.

“We’re going to have a lot of players who have to make up the slack for two guys who I thought were head over heels the best in this league last season,” he said.

But even without Christie and Lear, the Waves do not appear lacking in talent.

Pepperdine’s top player is forward Dana Jones, a 6-foot-6 junior who was third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding last season and was an all-conference selection.

“He’s probably the best player in the league,” Asbury said. “He’s just a solid, blue-collar type of player who does so many things for us.”

Perhaps the most exciting player for the Waves is Damin Lopez, whose 5-8 frame and 150 pounds belie his stature on the court.

“Pound for pound, he’s the best player in the league,” Asbury said. “He just doesn’t weigh many pounds.”

Pepperdine will also rely more on forward Steve Guild, a fifth-year senior who has been the team’s top reserve the last two seasons and has been selected as co-captain along with Jones.

Guild said the Waves will have a much different look this season.

“You look at the last two years and Doug and Geoff have been our best players in terms of offense,” he said. “People like myself, Dana and Damin have been more complementary players, and now it’s our roles to assume more responsibility.”

Asbury is also counting on players such as 6-8 junior center Derek Noether and 6-7 forward Byron Jenson, both part-time starters last season, and 6-2 junior Bryan Parker, a community college transfer from Washington who is expected to start alongside Lopez at guard.

Pepperdine’s success will also depend on the development of freshmen, including forward Tabari Johnson, 6-11 center Gavin Vanderputten and guard Jamal Lawrence.

Asbury said his most pressing concerns at the moment are the team’s rebounding and interior defense. He also needs a player to emerge who can take charge in critical stages of games.

“Last year we had those guys,” Asbury said. “Doug could always be counted on to do that last year. But I’d be less than honest if I didn’t say that we have to have some guys step up and play that way.”

Fortunately for the Waves, their nonconference schedule isn’t as imposing as it was last season, when they played national powers UCLA and Kansas. Pepperdine’s most difficult nonconference games figure to be against Texas Tech, North Carolina Charlotte and Montana in December.

Asbury said he has a good feeling about his team.

“If you look at three years ago when we lost Tom Lewis and Dexter Howard and Craig Davis, you would have thought there’s no way we could be better,” said Asbury, who is 83-40 in four seasons at Pepperdine. “But we were, because we had better chemistry. This team has great chemistry. The last two teams have had the best chemistry of any teams I’ve coached here.”

While many are predicting that Gonzaga will unseat Pepperdine, Guild has a warning for opponents.

“I think a lot of people probably think we’re not going to be as good as before,” he said. “A lot of people think that without Christie and Lear, we’re only going to be a so-so team. We want to prove them wrong.”