Rodrick Stewart has been a key part of Kansas University's early-season success, filling in for injured stars Brandon Rush and Sherron Collins.

Rodrick Stewart had a heart-to-heart talk with his father at the conclusion of a disappointing junior season at Kansas University.

“He said, ‘Dad, I will not disappoint you. I will go out my senior year with a bang,”‘ former world champion powerlifter Bull Stewart related from his fitness center in Seattle.

“My son kept his head up. He kept plugging away. He worked hard all last summer to get where he is now. I think kids can learn a valuable lesson from him: ‘Stick it out. Never give up,'” Bull Stewart added.

Rodrick Stewart – who through a strict training regimen and smart diet lost 20 pounds from last season to now – has gone from a seldom-used backup to a starter entering Sunday’s nonconference showdown against Southern California, his former school.

Tipoff will be 1 p.m. at 10,258-seat Galen Center in Los Angeles.

“I’ve definitely been waiting for this game a long time. It will be special to see all my old friends. All my family will be there (up to 15 relatives). It’s going to be a great thing,” said Stewart, who transferred from USC to KU after the first semester of his sophomore year.

“I don’t want to get over-excited. I’ve got to approach it like any other game. I could care less about how long I play or how many points I score. It’s about winning. It’s all I’m about this year.”

Playing 20 minutes a game as Brandon Rush recovers from ACL surgery and Sherron Collins heals from foot surgery, Stewart has averaged 7.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds for the 6-0, No. 4-rated Jayhawks.

He figures to play at least half of Sunday’s game. Compare that to a year ago, when he was used just three minutes (all in the first half) in KU’s 72-62 victory over his twin brother Lodrick’s USC team at Allen Fieldhouse.

“When I wasn’t playing I could only be mad at myself. I hadn’t put in the work, so I wasn’t out there,” said Rodrick, whose brother will attend Sunday’s game, making the short drive from Anaheim where he plays for an NBA Developmental League team. “It was good for me. It humbled me. Now I’m getting a chance to help us win.”

If KU is to win Sunday, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Stewart likely will have to slow 6-5, 200-pound freshman sensation O.J. Mayo, who averages 21.3 ppg for the 6-1, No. 22-ranked Trojans.

“I’d love to guard him. He’s the best freshman in the country right now. I’m always up for a challenge. Guarding him would be a great challenge,” Stewart said, noting Rush and Russell Robinson also could be assigned to Mayo.

“He’s a big, strong guard. He’s like (NBA’s) Gilbert Arenas. He makes scoring look so easy. He makes it look like he’s been doing it a long time.”

It’s been a long time since Stewart has returned to the USC campus. Back in his day, the Trojans played at old L.A. Memorial Arena, not brand new Galen Center.

“The old arena was big, spacy. It was fun to play in there, but the new one … my brother told me it’s crazy,” Rodrick said. “They didn’t sell out all the games when I was there, but they do now. It’s going to be exciting. I can’t wait.”

Though USC is known more for football than basketball, Rodrick insists the Trojans’ hoops fans are quite passionate.

“I know they have tradition in football. I went to the games. That’s one of the craziest things, to sit in the stands, see how they support football. The tradition will go on and on in football,” Stewart said, quickly adding, “They do a great job in basketball, too.

“They bring in guys like O.J. Mayo and Devon Jefferson who love to win. It’s about getting players who will do anything it takes to win.

So why did Stewart flee USC, where he averaged 4.4 points and 2.1 assists in one season, for KU?

“It was about time for me and my brother to – not go our separate ways, because we’ll always be twins until the end – but for him to find his own identity and me to find mine,” Rodrick said.

“We were always looked at as just twins. They wouldn’t say, ‘Rodrick, you had a good game’ or ‘Lodrick, you had a good game.’ It would always be, ‘Twins, you had a good game.’ It was time for a new start for both of us.”

Despite not getting to play much at KU until now, Rodrick said he was thrilled he made the switch.

“I definitely miss the weather there, but you know how hot it gets here too,” Stewart said. “I moved on to bigger and better things.”

Bull Stewart is aware of Rodrick’s growing love of the Midwest.

“He tells me, ‘Dad I may want to live there after I graduate.’ I say, ‘Lawrence, Kansas? Who would have thought that?’ I think it’s great,” Bull Stewart said. “He loves it there so much. If he lives there, I’ll get to visit him and get to see some great basketball at Allen Fieldhouse. That’s the best place I’ve been to see a game.”

Who knows? Maybe Bull will get to watch two more sons play at KU.

Twins Hikeem and Kadeem, 14, have made the varsity team as freshmen at famed Rainier Beach High in Seattle.

“Rodrick is an inspiration to his brothers,” Bull said of the two, who stand 6-foot-1. “He calls them, texts them. He’s been a great example for them. They look at his situation and see what hard work will do for you.

“I’m really a proud father,” Bull added. “Rodrick is really a good kid. He’ll text me at night and say, ‘Dad I love you. You’ve done a lot for me.’ I’ll say, ‘Thanks, son, but I’ve got to go to bed now,'” Bull laughed.

Those close to Rodrick Stewart realize he won’t rest until he helps KU claim a victory Sunday.

“It’s a big game for him going back. He’ll be really excited to play,” KU coach Bill Self said. “He’s played so well. He gives us so much energy. I think he plays with the most energy of anybody on our team.”