Last Laugh

Sometimes it takes staring into a mirror to face the truth.

For Cody Pearson, watching himself on videotape and then listening to the laughter of his teammates convinced him change was imperative.

It happened last summer, when Pearson and his basketball coach at Notre Dame High, Rob DiMuro, were trying to put together a highlight tape to send to college recruiters.

“What are we doing?” DiMuro said. “We can’t send this out.”

There were too many moments when Pearson was complaining to officials, flapping his arms or “making a big scene trying to be an actor.”

People told him he needed to calm down and play under control.

“At first, I was, ‘Oh man, these guys don’t know what they’re talking about,’ ” Pearson said. “Then, when I started watching film, I was embarrassed. I felt stupid. If I’m supposed to be so good, I shouldn’t be getting laughed at by my teammates.”

The first step toward maturity is recognizing a flaw and deciding to correct it.

“Once he saw it, he really took it to heart,” DiMuro said. “At that moment, he told me he’s going to change and he has.”

Those who remember Pearson last season won’t recognize him now. The 6-foot-4 junior is more mature, under control and admired by coaches and opponents.

“He’s just awesome to watch,” DiMuro said. “He’s nonstop energy. He’s cut out the mistakes. He understands the game better. He does everything we thought he would do.”

Pearson is averaging 24.3 points and 12.9 rebounds. His athleticism is apparent as he maneuvers around defenders. He resembles a gymnast when he glides through the air while maintaining perfect body control.

But the most obvious change in Pearson is his focus on the game. He still plays with emotion, but there is no wasted energy. Everything is channeled in a positive way.

During games, he has been hit in the face, bashed on the head, had his jersey pulled and tugged. But he doesn’t utter a word. He retaliates by lifting his game to a higher level.

He plays off teammates’ screens to get into the flow of the offense. His shot selection is wiser, his patience improved. He has escaped from the trap many young players fall into when he admitted, “I wanted to show everybody I was ready for college my freshman year.”

Earlier this week, he shot an airball at the free-throw line against Alemany. He calmly stepped away from the line, took a deep breath, exhaled and made the second free throw. No panic, no loss of composure, no sign of frustration.

“It’s been a long road and I’m still going through it, but I’ve grown up a lot,” he said.

Added DiMuro: “I’m proud of him. Improving that area was more difficult than improving any basketball skill. That was the paradox with his game. That’s not who he was. He was a great kid and everybody would see the game and think he had an attitude.

“In reality, he’s a sweet kid, the most humble kid. He wants to do well so badly he’d get out in front of these huge crowds and try too hard.”

Expectations were high when Pearson arrived at Notre Dame. He was the most heralded freshman at the Sherman Oaks campus since Eddie Miller. And everyone knows what happened to Miller--he flunked out after his freshman season.

Miller eventually learned his lessons, graduated from Chatsworth, went to Ventura College and is playing for Washington State.

Like Miller, Pearson was an at-risk student. But he accepted the challenge of trying to improve in the classroom.

With the help of tutors and some hard work, he’s on his way to becoming a college student.

“I didn’t want to be characterized as just an athlete,” Pearson said. “I wanted to show people what I could do.”

On Wednesday, Pearson celebrates his 17th birthday. He has reason to be proud.

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com