Deion Lavender adjusting to speed of college game
01/25/2015 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Four games into the season, Southern Illinois freshman guard Deion Lavender was shaking his head and wondering how long it was going to take to get up to speed at the college level?
In games against Saint Louis, Tennessee State, Kent State and Yale, he played a total of 60 minutes with just one basket to show for it. It was quite a shock for a kid who scored 53 points in a single game for Alton Marquette (Ill.) High School last year and averaged 25 per contest.
What seemed like a break-out game of 12 points against UIC on Nov. 23 was followed by three-straight scoreless nights versus Olivet Nazarene, SIUE and Austin Peay. Emotionally, he hit rock-bottom when he didn't get to play at all at SEMO on Dec. 3.
"Coming from a place where I was like Anthony (Beane) and never came out of the game and got to take every shot and be the guy on the team, it was kind of a difficult adjustment," he admitted. "It's been an adjustment playing for a new coach with a new philosophy and way of coaching. It had an affect on my confidence, but now I don't even worry about it, I just play."
Lavender bounced back with solid outings versus Chicago State (11 points) and Missouri State (8 points), and with SIU's offense desperate for firepower, he suddenly found himself in the starting lineup against Bradley on Jan. 3. Although the 6-foot-2, 190-pound rookie only had two points in that game, he started the next four contests and recorded his career-best performance at nationally ranked Wichita State, where he scored 15 points.
"It was something I knew I could do all along," he said. "It was just a matter of time until I got comfortable and was able to slow the game down for myself. It's definitely a confidence-booster to be able to do that against guys of that caliber."
His father, DeLeon Lavender, has been an important influence in Deion's life. His dad played basketball at Eureka College and served as an assistant coach at Alton Marquette.
"He put a basketball in my hand early, but he didn't force me to play -- it was something I fell in love with on my own," Lavender explained. "We still have the father-son relationship, but there's also the coach-son relationship. He can help me as a basketball player, and also be my dad to encourage me."
Lavender said he stood only 5-foot-7 as a freshman in high school and didn't hit his stride on the court until his junior year when he finally grew into his body. He averaged 25 points as a junior and drew interest from college programs, but decided to wait until after his senior season to see if he could improve his stock.
"The whole purpose behind waiting was just to see what (offers) I could get," he said. "I figured if I waited, I could get a couple more offers and see which one fit me the best."
He visited SIU for the sold-out game against Illinois State last year, in which Tyler Smithpeters hit the game-winning 3-pointer.
"That crowd and that game had a pretty big impact on why I came here," he acknowledged. "Seeing all those people come out and support the basketball team and then hanging out with Tyler (Smithpeters) after the game and seeing all the love he got for hitting the game-winner."
Saint Louis, his hometown team, showed late interest in Lavender, but he decided not to wait for an offer and committed to Southern.
Lavender said he enjoys the competitive level of the MVC and feels he can develop into a solid player in this league.
"Playing with a bunch of better guys was something I was looking forward to," he said. "In high school, guys couldn't catch the passes I was throwing, so I was looking forward to coming to a level with guys I could play with and create for them and create for myself. The biggest adjustment is the speed and strength of the game."
