UNIVERSITY BEAT: CRISIS BRINGS KILLIAN HOME TO TROJANS.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Donny Killian was involved in a car accident last week, a wreck that left his right wrist in a soft splint and his nerves slightly frayed but his good spirit intact.

Killian, a reserve senior middle blocker on the USC men's volleyball team, offers jokes about the accident, displaying a level of worldly perspective far beyond that of most college kids.

That perspective comes from spending 14 hours in a hospital waiting room as his father underwent surgery two summers ago for a rare form of stomach cancer, an experience that helped convince Donny he would be better off transferring from Pepperdine to USC to be closer to his family.

``When you come across a life-altering situation, fortunately you're able to re-prioritize,'' Killian said. ``I went from volleyball being the most important thing in my life to realizing that things can change any second.

``Just look at my accident. If it had been a big 18-wheeler that blew that stop sign, I might not be here right now.''

Killian's life has featured a series of sudden changes over the past four years. It began in his senior year at Loyola High, when he broke from family tradition by choosing Pepperdine over USC.

His parents, two grandfathers and one great grandfather, one grandmother, three uncles, one aunt and countless cousins are USC alums, and his sister Lauren is a sophomore on the volleyball team, but Killian's choice came down to scholarship money and a chance to win a national championship. So Pepperdine narrowly won out.

Playing time was limited in his first two years, but Killian was content at Pepperdine until just after his sophomore season, when he was told his father, Don, was sick.

``He was the healthiest 45- or 46-year-old guy you would ever see,'' Killian said. ``One day one of his buddies said he looked a little pale, and then he went to the doctor.

``We found out that only a handful of people in the world have this particular form of stomach cancer.''

The family researched the disease for several weeks before deciding to go through with the surgery in June. The procedure was supposed to take four or five hours and the Killian clan planned a celebration in the waiting room.

Four or five hours turned into eight or nine, and when the sun rose, the family was still waiting. The agony ended after 14 hours and doctors removed 30 pounds of tumor from Don Killian's stomach. He remained in the hospital for two more months and as the fall semester approached, Donny considered skipping it.

``I seriously thought I would just stay home,'' Killian said. ``I thought it would be best for me to stay home and take care of my dad, take care of my family.''

Killian's mother, Chris, quickly nixed the idea, but Donny spent much of his junior year shuttling between Malibu and the family home in Hancock Park, 10 minutes from USC.

Those trips planted the seed of transferring to USC in Killian's mind, even as Pepperdine made a run to the Final Four last spring. The Waves eventually lost to Ohio State in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Don Killian, who won a national title in volleyball with USC in 1977, was healthy enough to make the trip.

Still, the thought of being close to home was too much for Killian to ignore. He looked into transferring to UCLA, but family history won out.

``I've always bled cardinal and gold,'' Killian said. ``My first football game was here when I was 1 1/2 years old and I was on campus so much growing up.

``My dad never put pressure on me to go to SC the first time around, but when I chose to transfer here, I'd say he wasn't exactly disappointed.''

Don and Chris Killian are now fixtures in North Gym, and before his wrist injury, Donny had worked himself into the Trojans' hitting rotation. He is fourth on the team with 45 kills and has a .427 hitting percentage, best among the team's top players.

USC is ranked No. 7 in the nation after starting the season at No. 2.

``I cherish the times I had at Pepperdine,'' Killian said, ``but I've learned that things happen for a reason and USC is where I was meant to be. I still have a good relationship with people at Pepperdine, but if one or two people are (upset), that's OK. I have two parents and two younger (siblings) who are happy and that's all that matters.''

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Photo: Donny Killian, a former volleyball player at Pepperdine, transferred to USC to be closer to his family after his father came down with a rare form of stomach cancer.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer