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Gophers vs. Louisville: A case of brotherly love
By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune
December 18, 2008
On Sept. 13, Lawrence Westbrook received one of the worst phone calls of his life.
His 18-year-old brother, Tajh, had been in a serious accident, a friend said. Westbrook called his parents, who were 1,600 miles away in Chandler, Ariz., but they knew little.
They didn't know at the time that their youngest son had been thrown 50 feet from a car. Or that he'd been airlifted to a local hospital. Or that he had suffered numerous fractures and bleeding on the brain. Doctors didn't know whether he'd live or die.
So Lawrence waited, fearing the worse. But Tajh lived, after eight days in a trauma unit and multiple operations -- with more pending. The junior guard will see his brother Saturday for the first time since the accident, when the Gophers take on No. 9 Louisville at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The day will also mark Tajh's 19th birthday.
When the Gophers scheduled Saturday's game at Glendale last March, the story line for Lawrence figured to be his basketball homecoming. He had led the nation in scoring with a 41-point average as a high school junior at Chandler High School, and family and friends were excited about the prospect of getting another chance to see Lawrence play in person.
What matters most now is the reunion between the two brothers. The experience, Tajh said, has helped the brothers grow closer.
"It made me realize the game, my birthday, the first time I get to see him, the biggest game of his career, all my friends, the family we do have out here, the family that's coming out here, it shows me like it's nothing bigger than family," he said.
Tajh remembers few details from the accident. He was one of eight people in the car, but no one else was seriously injured. As a result, he suffered a hematoma -- "the size of a football," Tajh said -- on his arm, torn tendons and muscles, back fractures and a broken collarbone.
He remembers thinking he was dead because he couldn't hear anything as a helicopter transported him from the side of an Arizona road to a hospital. But when he felt his father's tears falling on him in the hospital, he said, he knew he was alive. The next day, he called his older brother.
Tajh remembers Lawrence telling him: "Basketball means nothing, everything means nothing right now as long as you're healthy. And I'm going to make sure you're OK. ... It just really showed me how much love he had for me."
For Westbrook's father, Larry, Saturday's game will represent an opportunity for his family, which is Muslim, to celebrate the holiday season in a way he wasn't sure would happen after Tajh's accident.
With his other son in Minnesota at the time of the accident, Larry Westbrook said he needed someone to help comfort Lawrence. He said Tubby Smith's response spoke volumes about the Gophers coach.
"Tubby called me and said, 'I got this, I'll be there with Lawrence,'" he said. "These are the type of things that I'm talking about. That's what a family would do."
Lawrence Westbrook, a first cousin of Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, said his family helped him through a difficult freshman season at Minnesota, when he averaged only 10.8 minutes a game and thought about transferring. Smith's arrival in 2007 changed that.
But the transition wasn't smooth, because Westbrook's new coach didn't know he'd injured his right thumb and needed surgery to repair ligament damage. But Westbrook didn't want to disappoint Smith, so he played through the pain, started every game and averaged 8.5 points.
Surgery after the season sidelined him for five months, but he's bounced back to lead the team in scoring this season with 14.1 points per game.
"I think it's going to be exciting to play at home," Westbrook said. "Can't wait. ... This is my first time ever playing in like a Final Four setting. I think it's going to be crazy. I'll be ready to go."
Smith compares him to former NBA star Calvin Murphy. At 6 feet tall, Westbrook is usually matched up with much bigger shooting guards and small forwards as one of the team's top defenders (11 steals). But he never backs down.
Westbrook's attitude -- a mixture of toughness and confidence -- has proved to be contagious and has helped Minnesota achieve its first 9-0 start since Dave Winfield and Clyde Turner suited up for the Gophers.
"He comes with a little bit of a toughness that you need," Smith said. "And that's just his M.O. That's his personality."
A personality that friends and family members have missed, which means his trip might be hectic.
"I have a lot of people wanting to come," he said. "Ten million people call me every day about the game."
But out of all those people, there's one reunion that will mean the most.
© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
Gophers vs. Louisville: A case of brotherly love
By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune
December 18, 2008
On Sept. 13, Lawrence Westbrook received one of the worst phone calls of his life.
His 18-year-old brother, Tajh, had been in a serious accident, a friend said. Westbrook called his parents, who were 1,600 miles away in Chandler, Ariz., but they knew little.
They didn't know at the time that their youngest son had been thrown 50 feet from a car. Or that he'd been airlifted to a local hospital. Or that he had suffered numerous fractures and bleeding on the brain. Doctors didn't know whether he'd live or die.
So Lawrence waited, fearing the worse. But Tajh lived, after eight days in a trauma unit and multiple operations -- with more pending. The junior guard will see his brother Saturday for the first time since the accident, when the Gophers take on No. 9 Louisville at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The day will also mark Tajh's 19th birthday.
When the Gophers scheduled Saturday's game at Glendale last March, the story line for Lawrence figured to be his basketball homecoming. He had led the nation in scoring with a 41-point average as a high school junior at Chandler High School, and family and friends were excited about the prospect of getting another chance to see Lawrence play in person.
What matters most now is the reunion between the two brothers. The experience, Tajh said, has helped the brothers grow closer.
"It made me realize the game, my birthday, the first time I get to see him, the biggest game of his career, all my friends, the family we do have out here, the family that's coming out here, it shows me like it's nothing bigger than family," he said.
Tajh remembers few details from the accident. He was one of eight people in the car, but no one else was seriously injured. As a result, he suffered a hematoma -- "the size of a football," Tajh said -- on his arm, torn tendons and muscles, back fractures and a broken collarbone.
He remembers thinking he was dead because he couldn't hear anything as a helicopter transported him from the side of an Arizona road to a hospital. But when he felt his father's tears falling on him in the hospital, he said, he knew he was alive. The next day, he called his older brother.
Tajh remembers Lawrence telling him: "Basketball means nothing, everything means nothing right now as long as you're healthy. And I'm going to make sure you're OK. ... It just really showed me how much love he had for me."
For Westbrook's father, Larry, Saturday's game will represent an opportunity for his family, which is Muslim, to celebrate the holiday season in a way he wasn't sure would happen after Tajh's accident.
With his other son in Minnesota at the time of the accident, Larry Westbrook said he needed someone to help comfort Lawrence. He said Tubby Smith's response spoke volumes about the Gophers coach.
"Tubby called me and said, 'I got this, I'll be there with Lawrence,'" he said. "These are the type of things that I'm talking about. That's what a family would do."
Lawrence Westbrook, a first cousin of Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, said his family helped him through a difficult freshman season at Minnesota, when he averaged only 10.8 minutes a game and thought about transferring. Smith's arrival in 2007 changed that.
But the transition wasn't smooth, because Westbrook's new coach didn't know he'd injured his right thumb and needed surgery to repair ligament damage. But Westbrook didn't want to disappoint Smith, so he played through the pain, started every game and averaged 8.5 points.
Surgery after the season sidelined him for five months, but he's bounced back to lead the team in scoring this season with 14.1 points per game.
"I think it's going to be exciting to play at home," Westbrook said. "Can't wait. ... This is my first time ever playing in like a Final Four setting. I think it's going to be crazy. I'll be ready to go."
Smith compares him to former NBA star Calvin Murphy. At 6 feet tall, Westbrook is usually matched up with much bigger shooting guards and small forwards as one of the team's top defenders (11 steals). But he never backs down.
Westbrook's attitude -- a mixture of toughness and confidence -- has proved to be contagious and has helped Minnesota achieve its first 9-0 start since Dave Winfield and Clyde Turner suited up for the Gophers.
"He comes with a little bit of a toughness that you need," Smith said. "And that's just his M.O. That's his personality."
A personality that friends and family members have missed, which means his trip might be hectic.
"I have a lot of people wanting to come," he said. "Ten million people call me every day about the game."
But out of all those people, there's one reunion that will mean the most.
© 2008 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
