ADJUSTMENT TO USC NOT EASY FOR LEWIS AFTER ROUGH START, FRESHMAN FITS IN.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

Whitney Lewis returned to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs as a humbled, but still proud, young man.

Nearly a year earlier, he had walked on the field at Moorpark College and produced 274 yards of offense and four touchdowns to lead St. Bonaventure of Ventura to the Southern Section Div. IV title over Westlake.

Some said he was the nation's top recruit and few doubted he'd step into stardom. And when he signed with USC, he was regarded as the gem of a recruiting class ranked by many as one of the nation's best.

But when Lewis returned to the St. Bonaventure sideline 363 days after that championship night, little of the heady predictions had come true.

He had a tumultuous freshman season at USC, where he endured injuries, three position changes and a difficult transition to the challenges of the collegiate level.

It's a difficult situation for any player, let alone one as heralded as Lewis. But Lewis said learning humility was the best thing that could have happened to him.

``At first, I didn't think college football was going to be as tough as it is. ... I thought I was going to be able to come in and contribute right away,'' said Lewis, who has played in seven games for the Trojans, rushing three times for 11 yards and catching three passes for 27 yards.

``It was a good reality check for me to just think, 'I just can't come in here and do things. I have to do the extra work just like everyone else.' ''

USC coach Pete Carroll has noticed the difference and has made it a point to compliment Lewis on his play several times to remind him that he figures prominently in the Trojans' plans.

``I think he's grown into what we're all about,'' Carroll said. ``You can just see it. He's noticeably playing better and making the plays, and you can see the confidence.''

At most schools, it is a typical adjustment for a freshman. But at USC, where Carroll has a philosophy of playing freshmen, Lewis didn't have much time to adjust to the challenges of Division I.

In high school, Lewis was athletically superior. He was 215 pounds of chiseled muscle with soft hands, 4.35-second speed in the 40-yard dash and a precocious understanding of the game.

``He was unstoppable,'' St. Bonaventure coach John Mack said. ``Probably my greatest memories were from the championship game last year. Anything he wanted to do that night, he could.''

But when he arrived at USC, Lewis was challenged athletically for one of the first times in his life.

It didn't help that he came in weighing 240 pounds, 25 pounds more than his playing weight in high school. He has since lost the weight and is at 220 but it set him back.

``He did not have a good summer,'' Mack said. ``I think he'd worked real hard for 3 1/2 years and then took about six months off before he reported to camp in August. He paid the price for that, but I think now he realizes what he has to do to get to the next level and will spend the next three years dedicating himself to it.''

At 240, Lewis was too big to be a wide receiver and the coaching staff decided to try him at fullback and tailback, meaning he was learning to play three positions at once as an 18-year-old freshman.

He reacted by complaining about playing time and venting to the media. He even publicly admitted he had considered transferring to Florida State before school started.

That got him a closed-door meeting with Carroll that resulted in Lewis apologizing to the entire team.

``Coach Carroll called me in the room and talked to me and said, 'What good is coming from what you're talking about?' '' Lewis said. ``And really, nothing good was coming from it. ... You can bicker and pout, or you can fight through it and get the job done and keep going.''

He elected to keep going.

``At first I was like, 'I don't know if this is it,' but everything happens for a reason,'' Lewis said, ``and I feel like I came here for a reason, and I'm finally learning why I came here.''

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

STAT-SHEET STUFFER

When Whitney Lewis took off his jacket to reveal a USC jersey at the Ventura County signing day last February, it put the final touch on a banner recruiting year for USC. Lewis was the Cal-Hi Sports Player of the Year as a senior at St. Bonaventure High in Ventura.

Here's a look at his achievements:

2002 65 catches 1,235 yards receiving 1,059 yards rushing 42 TDs

2001 65 catches 959 yards receiving 323 yards rushing 14 TDs

2000 52 receptions 879 yards receiving 17 TDs

1999 38-yard touchdown reception on his first career reception.

Here's a look at some of the awards he won:

2002: Parade All-American first team, Super Prep All-American, PrepStar All-American, Student Sports All-American first team, CNNSI.com All-American first team, The Insiders.com All-American first team, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Player of the Year (Mr. Football), All-CIF Southern Section first team, All-CIF Division IV Offensive MVP.

2001: Cal-Hi Sports All-State Small Schools first team, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass first team, All-CIF Southern Section first team, All- CIF Division XI first team.

2000: He made the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Sophomore first team.

Career: St. Bonaventure won four Southern Section titles and went 55-1 with a streak of 42 consecutive victories.

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