NO DEMON AFTER ALL ORIGINALLY RECRUITED BY DEPAUL, CUMMINGS RETURNS HOME A BRUIN.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

CHICAGO - The cold winter wind that this city is known for might have an extra bite to it today.

The chill that T.J. Cummings will feel when he walks into the building that his father helped christen is known as a welcome mat.

When the UCLA freshman forward takes the court at the former Rosemont Horizon, it won't be so much as a favorite son but as a scorned one. Instead of playing for the DePaul Blue Demons, he'll be playing against them.

In fact, Cummings was born a Blue Demon - his birth coming a few months before his father Terry's All-American 1981-82 season at the school. As a high school star in the suburbs of this basketball-rich city, everyone expected Cummings to follow his father's legacy.

Yet, last spring T.J. spurned DePaul when he signed a letter of intent with UCLA, choosing the Bruins over DePaul and Duke.

``I got a lot of pressure,'' Cummings said. ``I knew it was the place where my father went. They recruited me very hard. It just came down to where I felt like I had to start making my own mark and it wasn't the best place for me to be.''

Cummings said he chose UCLA because of the academic environment, the climate and the coaches. And with only one front-court player, Dan Gadzuric, there was also the opportunity to play immediately.

Still, UCLA's coaches were as surprised as anyone they ended up with Cummings, a sleek 6-foot-8 forward.

``He was on our list, but the feeling was we weren't going to be able to get involved,'' said assistant coach Michael Holton, a former Bruin who played against Terry Cummings in college and the NBA. ``We thought DePaul was going to be where he ended up.

``It happens a lot with guys that are not in our region, you just kind of hear things, and we were hearing he was going to stay close to home. Sometimes you have a list of kids and you hear, `Oh, this kid's not going to leave home,' and you move on in the interest of time and resources. The error you make a lot of times in recruiting is not following up and finding out what the truth is.''

In this case, the truth found them. When Cummings ran across UCLA coach Steve Lavin, he asked why Lavin wasn't recruiting him.

The unspoken factor in Cummings leaving home is his father's relationship with his alma mater. It's been cordial, but not warm since Joey Meyer, the son of Terry's coach, Ray Meyer, was fired four years ago.

``My relationship was strong as long as Ray and Joey were there,'' said Terry Cummings, retired from the NBA after last season. ``I haven't spent a lot of time nurturing the relationship. I played 18 years in the NBA - that kept me away from a lot of things. I still know some people there, but I haven't had a relationship since Ray and Joey left.''

Terry, who is here for today's game from his home in San Antonio, says he helped his son with his decision, but in the end it was T.J.'s to make.

``T.J. has earned the right to be where he is,'' Terry Cummings said. ``Coming up in Chicago, he had a lot of undue pressure placed on him. That's another reason I stood back. I want him to establish his own identity. He doesn't have to live up to me. My relationship with my sons is not about basketball and not about being an (alumnus) of DePaul, it's about being a parent and a father.''

T.J. wears No. 43, while his father wore 34 throughout his pro career, and the two couldn't be more opposite.

Terry grew up poor on the South Side, was reared without a father and had two sons by the time he left DePaul.

T.J., his cornrows, tattoos and serious demeanor notwithstanding, is a child of the mostly well-to-do suburbs who is into sketching and abstract art. While he's been reared by his mother, Vondell, he says his father has been there when he needed.

For all the differences in their games - Terry displayed power and grace, while T.J. is slender and somewhat gawky - it is not hard to see a pro's influence on Cummings. He has uncommon poise and polish for a 19- year-old.

Much like NBA players, T.J. has spots on the floor where he has honed certain moves: a step-back jumper on the baseline, a baby hook in post and a jumper from the free-throw line are among his stand-bys.

``He reminds me a lot of his dad,'' Holton said. ``He's a polished scorer from spots. It's a little unusual for a guy his age to come into college with go-to moves that are perfected to the point where he can immediately impact the game.''

And he is fearless. His biggest moments seem to come at the biggest times.

In his college debut, he scored 24 points against Kansas at Madison Square Garden. On the road against Arizona, Cal, Stanford and USC he has hit tough, crowd-silencing shots.

``I'm the kind of guy, I want the ball even when I know I'm not going to get it,'' said Cummings, who admits his biggest adjustment has been finding his niche in the offense.

This confidence isn't genetic, it's earned.

When he was asked this season what it would be like to play against North Carolina's 7-foot Brendan Haywood and 6-11 Kris Lange, Cummings said it couldn't possibly be worse than getting pushed around by his dad.

``I've always been adamant with him about not concentrating on being a 3-point shooter, but hitting the 15- to 17-footer consistently, rebounding and doing the little things,'' Terry Cummings said. ``I physically beat him up. He could shoot the ball outside, but I'd make him come inside and hit him in places where I'd disturb his shot but I wouldn't give him a foul, so he's used to playing with contact.''

Despite his age, Cummings is also the most businesslike of the Bruins. At least on the court. His roommate, freshman Josiah Johnson, has given Cummings' alter ego a name: Jermaine.

``When he's serious, he's T.J.,'' said Johnson, whose father, Marques, was traded for Cummings' father in a deal between the Clippers and Bucks. ``When he's in his funny mode, he's Jermaine. He's like two different people.''

UCLA vs. DePAUL

at Allstate Arena. 12:20 p.m.

--TV/Radio: Ch. 7, 1150-AM

UCLA vs. DePAUL

Tipoff: 12:30 p.m., at Allstate Arena

TV/Radio: Channel 7; 1150-AM

UCLA (14-6): The Bruins, who took a red-eye flight after their win Thursday over USC, could be due for a letdown after an emotional past three games and with Arizona next. However, the game being on national TV should take care of that. Ryan Bailey, who was vomiting because of the flu at halftime of the USC game, was too ill to make the trip, so Jason Flowers will back up Earl Watson at point guard. UCLA is 4-2 on opponents' home courts this season. The Bruins are 13-2 when they hold an opponent to less than 50-percent shooting, 1-4 when they don't.

DePaul (11-11): DePaul shot just 30.1 percent from the field in last season's 76-58 loss at UCLA. The Blue Demons have struggled this season - they're just 3-7 in Conference USA. However, they are a talented and dangerous team. They've beaten Temple and St. Joseph's and lost to Kansas and Florida by six and seven, respectively. Forward Bobby Simmons (17.3 points, 9.0 rebounds) is their leader, but 7-foot center Steve Hunter has come on lately. In Wednesday's victory over Houston, Hunter made 9 of 10 shots, had 21 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks. Freshmen point guard Imari Sawyer and forward Andre Brown, the latter an McDonald's All- American, were prized recruits.

- Billy Witz

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo: (1 -- color) As a high school star in the suburbs of Chicago, UCLA freshman forward T.J. Cummings had been expected to play for DePaul.

Ed Betz/Associated Press

(2) ``I got a lot of pressure. I knew it was the place where my father went. They recruited me very hard. It just came down to where I felt like I had to start making my own mark and it wasn't the best place for me to be.'' - T.J. Cummings

UCLA freshman, who had been aggressively recruited by DePaul, where his father Terry played

Box: UCLA vs. DePAUL (see text)