Sammy Mejia’s first basketball season for DePaul has been a little bit like surfing on Lake Michigan. Many highs and lows, but when he catches a wave, it’s sublime.
Turnovers at inopportune moments mean that coach Dave Leitao gives Mejia the quick hook from games. Long-range jump shots made at opportunistic moments mean that opponents who are careless on defense get burned.
This inconsistency is to be expected when the keys to the car are turned over to a freshman point guard who’s two weeks shy of his 21st birthday.
“There have been lots of ups and downs,” Mejia acknowledged. “You have to have confidence in your talent.”
No one disputes that Mejia, a two-time, first-team All-State player from the Bronx, N.Y., has the goods. He averaged 27 points per game as a senior at Roosevelt High and then spent a bonus year in a prep school averaging 37. At a long-armed 6 feet 6 inches and a lithe 190 pounds, Mejia has good size. When he dribbles, the ball seems to be a yo-yo.
And he has star quality. Mejia possesses one of those glittering Magic Johnson smiles that light up a room.
Two months into his first collegiate season, as DePaul (10-6, 3-2) prepares for a Saturday Conference USA game against Marquette (11-5, 2-3) in Milwaukee, Mejia is averaging 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds and is one assist short of 4.0 per game. He had 18 points against Seton Hall, 10 rebounds against Southeast Missouri State and nine assists against Memphis. Sweet teases of things to come.
He also had seven turnovers against Texas Christian and shot 0-for-7 against Michigan State. Exasperating examples of an erratic present.
Together the numbers demonstrate Mejia is a freshman playing the most demanding position on the court. That he is still raw, but that he is also a threat to put up a triple-double any game.
“As Sammy grows into his role a little bit more, we will continue to grow,” Leitao said. “He has established himself early in games by making some shots. It has helped us, and his self-confidence is a major factor.”
Mejia said he knows when Leitao pulls him for a lecture it is part of his education. He also appreciates the props. When he came out after particularly fine play against Alabama-Birmingham last week, Leitao used his left hand to slap five with Mejia and his right hand to pat him on the head.
Leitao realizes an attacking Mejia jump-starts the Blue Demons. He can shake up a defense with his three-point shots, and he’s big, strong and quick enough to finish at the basket.
“Every game he’s getting a little better,” DePaul senior forward Delonte Holland said. “You have to grow up quick.”
Especially when other teams seek to stunt the growth with full-court pressure. Cincinnati defenders were like a school of piranha. Charlotte, UAB, Chicago State . . . all either watched tape and decided DePaul was vulnerable to trapping or simply assumed a freshman wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“That has to make it extra hard,” DePaul junior guard Drake Diener said. “The point guard has to be in control. They’re putting a lot of pressure on us. It makes it tougher.”
Neither Holland nor Diener envies Mejia’s situation, being forced to learn while in a position of responsibility. They are not so far removed from adapting to a higher level of play themselves.
“It’s real tough moving right into big-time basketball,” Holland said. “I think he’s handling it really well.”
Mejia’s first inclination was to stay home and play at a New York-area college. His club coach, however, knew Leitao and told Mejia he thought the second-year DePaul coach and the school would be a good fit for him. As Leitao wooed him, “He just grew on me,” Mejia said.
He said leaving home was hard at first and that none of his relatives or friends have made it to a game in Chicago. About 50 of them, however, turned out for DePaul’s Dec. 27 game against Seton Hall in New Jersey. They showed up at the right time because Mejia scored his season high against the Pirates as DePaul played without injured frontcourt star Andre Brown for the first time.
“Coach told me to look for my shot more, we’re going to need it,” Mejia said.
He did, and ever since he has been more aggressive looking to the basket. Mejia had 16 points against UAB last Saturday, many from outside. When coaches scrutinize tape of DePaul games to study long-range tendencies, they are more likely to freeze on Diener.
Still, UAB coach Mike Anderson did not seem surprised by the way Mejia’s shots shredded his defense.
“I saw that he has played well in some other games too. He was heralded,” Anderson said. “He’s a player. As guys get a little bit more confident with the coaching, and how to play at this level, then you start seeing why coaches recruited them.”
Off the court, Mejia is a self-described clown who loves to go to movies (a recent favorite is “Out of Time” with Denzel Washington) and listen to music. He combines that recreational interest with game preparation. Leading up to a game, Mejia hunkers down with earphones and blocks out the world. The words from rappers 50 Cent and Jay-Z help him focus.
“Game days,” Mejia said, “I try to show them it’s about being serious.”
And about catching the perfect wave.
