Stewart Heads Home in a Different Mood

Lodrick Stewart, the normally loquacious free spirit who once claimed he and his brother Rodrick “put Seattle on the map,” is taking a different approach to his latest homecoming.

Because while USC staffers are anticipating the sophomore guard to be running both his game and mouth at full tilt tonight when the Trojans face No. 13 Washington, Stewart insists he will take a much-lower profile.

The arrests of family friends -- brothers Matthew and James Wells -- in September after a reported 140-mile, high-speed chase with police and their being charged with conspiracy and first-degree murder in the shooting death of Idaho football player Eric McMillan has Stewart in a reflective mood.

It is Stewart’s first trip home since the school year began.

“[The Wells brothers] are really family to us,” Stewart said. “They worked for our dad in his gym and were our strength coaches. It’s hard to take them two getting locked up like that. But my whole life, stuff like that has been going on.”

Six Wells family members have been indicted on perjury charges.

And with McMillan from Murrieta, Stewart said fear of retaliation was one of the reasons his brother Rodrick requested a release from his scholarship at USC and transferred to Kansas at the semester break.

“[McMillan] has a lot of family and friends in L.A. and even though we had nothing to do with it, they might be mad at us,” Stewart said. “That’s why I just lay low. I’d be mad if I lost a family member or a loved one. That’s hard for anyone to take so you might look to take that out on someone.

“L.A.’s a crazy place, a crazy place.”

Still, Stewart said neither he nor his brother has received threats.

Even with the pall surrounding tonight’s game, he is looking forward to playing against the Huskies, who feature nine players from the Seattle area, including best friend Nate Robinson and Tre Simmons, whose sister is Stewart’s longtime girlfriend.

“If I don’t score, not even a point, just being there is going to make me play hard,” said Stewart, who was the 3A state tournament most valuable player after leading Rainier Beach High to the title as a senior.

“I get to visit with those guys and spend time with them after the game. Even though we’re on different teams, we have love like that.”

Coming out of high school, the highly recruited Stewarts initially told a Seattle newspaper they were going to Washington.

Given that the Trojan assistant who recruited him -- Kurtis Townsend -- left for Miami (he is now at Kansas) before he arrived at USC, and with the coaching merry-go-round that has spun wildly at Heritage Hall since Dec. 6 with Henry Bibby, Jim Saia, Rick Majerus and Tim Floyd and his brother’s transfer, does Stewart regret his decision?

“If I would have known what was going to happen, obviously I’d do something different,” said Stewart, who has put his chances at “50-50” he’ll return to play for Floyd and may test his chances in the NBA draft.

“But I’m here now and I can’t regret what I did.”

*

TONIGHT

at No. 13 Washington, 7

Site -- Bank of America Arena.

Radio -- KMPC (1540).

Records -- USC 9-11 overall, 2-7 in the Pacific 10 Conference; Washington 17-3, 7-2.

Update -- Nick Young’s team-leading 14.7 scoring average in conference games leads all Pac-10 freshmen. An MRI of senior guard Errick Craven’s right ankle showed a bone bruise.