Midwest Is a Cold Place for DePaul’s Homesick Guard : Chicago Isn’t Lawrence West’s Kind of Town

Outside the Horizon arena in suburban Rosemont last week, snow was piled several feet high in places.

The pavement had been cleared so basketball fans could park before the Battle of Chicago between DePaul University and Loyola.

Several hours before the game--which Loyola won, 78-71, in an upset--DePaul sophomore Lawrence West had called his mother in San Diego. He talked of snow and sub-freezing temperatures. She spoke of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s.

“I miss that a lot,” said West, a native San Diegan who graduated from Morse High School in 1983. “It gets tough around here at times. I get homesick when it’s cold around here.”

Lately in Chicago, that’s been most of the time.

West, a communications major, says he keeps from getting too homesick by studying and playing basketball. He’s not into Chicago’s social scene.

“I don’t think Chicago is fascinating,” he said. “It’s just another city I had never seen before I came here. The only thing I must say is that it gets me down at times. Being away from home takes its toll. When things get bad, I’ll call my fiancee, LaCheryle Courtney. She helps me keep my head up.”

As a freshman, West kept his head down a lot. He played in only 16 of the Blue Demons’ 30 games, averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds. He thought about transferring, but decided to stay.

The deciding factors were that the nucleus of the team was returning, things figured to get better and Joey Meyer was taking over as coach for his legendary father, Ray.

“Joey recruited me from San Diego,” West said. “Coach (Ray Meyer) only played six or seven players. I wasn’t in that six or seven. This year, the same guys are back. But Coach Joey plays more players.”

Joey Meyer, formerly Ray’s top assistant, was aware of West’s thinking.

“Sometimes, freshmen want things to happen too fast,” he said. “Lawrence didn’t hide his emotions. He’s still an emotional young man and lets things bother him sometimes.”

Tony Jackson, West’s closest friend on the team, recognizes that.

“He expected too much out of college basketball right off the bat,” Jackson said. “When you come from a high school program where you are the star to a college program with 10 or 11 high school stars, it’s hard to find your place. He’s basically finding himself right now.”

And the 6-foot 8-inch West is finding himself at a new position.

Meyer has switched him from small forward to off guard. The change was made, Meyer said, because his off guards were not scoring enough.

West had an inauspicious beginning in his first start at off guard on Jan. 12 against Houston. He was called for traveling twice within the first minute. Even so, West remained in the starting lineup for five games.

But he is back to the role of a reserve, who plays about 15 minutes per game. He is averaging 3.9 points and 2 rebounds.

“As of now, I don’t know my role,” he said. “I think it’s as a scorer. I was a scoring forward at Morse, so it’s not that much of an adjustment to off guard. I don’t have to handle the ball that much.”

Said Meyer: “We need more production at off guard. We thought Lawrence could help us there. He needs to develop his perimeter skills. He’s still struggling, but he’s fighting hard to make it.”

But West probably will return to the frontcourt next year. Small forward Tyrone Corbin, DePaul’s best player, completes his eligibility this season.

Following players such as Corbin wasn’t exactly what West had in mind when he was growing up. He always dreamed of taking his place in the long line of great players at UCLA.

But early in his high school career, he decided to play college ball outside of Southern California. Among those who encouraged West to attend DePaul was former Blue Demon Terry Cummings, who was then playing with the San Diego Clippers.

“Terry was an influence, but not the major factor,” West said. “I liked it here because it was away from home and because of the media attention.”

Although West was raised in San Diego, he never paid much attention to San Diego State.

“I have nothing against the university or the basketball program,” he said. “If I had stayed there, I would have been living at home instead of in a dorm. I wouldn’t have felt like I was in college.”

Now, West knows that feeling. And, at times, it can be a lonely one.

Especially when he sees snow on the Chicago sidewalks.