Favorite son
In the eight years since he left the warm breezes of the Caribbean in pursuit of his basketball dream, Ronny Turiaf figures he has spent fewer than 200 days back in his hometown of Le Robert on the French-ruled island of Martinique.
Which is why the last week has meant so much to the likable, easygoing Gonzaga University senior, a self-confessed “mama’s boy” who agonized greatly over his decision to leave home at the age of 15 to attend France’s National Institute of Physical Education in Paris.
Turiaf’s mother, Aline Cesar, and 16-year-old sister, Elodie, flew to Spokane last Wednesday to spend a couple of weeks with their favorite – and only – son and brother as his remarkable college basketball career nears its end. They hope to join the team for Thursday night’s West Coast Conference finale against the University of Portland Pilots and will return to accompany Ronny during the annual Senior Night ceremonies preceding Monday night’s nonconference game against visiting Northern Colorado, in which Turiaf will play his final home game as a Zag.
“It’s awesome,” the 6-foot-10, 249-pound Turiaf said of having his mother and sister back in town for the first time in more than two years. “I don’t think people realize how important my family is to me. To have them come all that way to be with me again, and to be able to talk to them about everything, is comforting to me in a way that is just crazy.”
Turiaf’s mother, who last ventured to Spokane during her son’s sophomore season at GU, admits that letting him leave home eight years ago at such a young age was one of the toughest calls she has made as a parent.
“Being a mother, it was really difficult to let my oldest child go, because we were really, really close to each other,” she said through her son, acting as an interpreter. “But I respected his decision and decided to trust him.”
After spending three years in Paris, Turiaf accepted a scholarship offer from Gonzaga, where he has become a basketball sensation – as well as one of the best-liked, most-respected and most-recognizable figures on campus.
In his four seasons at GU, Turiaf has helped the Bulldogs win 102 of 122 games, while averaging just more than 14 points and six rebounds a game. He will finish his career among the top five on both the Zags’ career scoring and rebounding lists. And he is likely to be a first-round pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
In addition, Turiaf will walk through graduation this spring, needing only one summer-school course to complete his bachelor’s degree in sports management.
“I didn’t spend four years in college to not graduate,” said Turiaf, who is taking 21 credits this semester.
Aline, who was divorced from her husband, Georges, prior to Ronny leaving for Paris, said she is immensely proud of what her son has accomplished.
“I have missed his presence around our home,” she said. “I have missed his smile. I have missed him being there, just so we could have our time together.”
Turiaf said he, too, misses those special moments he used to share with his mother.
“But she makes herself available by calling on the phone and talking my ear off,” he said, laughing.
The calls come two or three times a week.
“If she calls in the morning, I don’t answer,” Turiaf said. “I’m usually too tired.”
Since greeting his mother and sister at the airport on Wednesday, Turiaf has tried to show them as much of Spokane as possible – but not necessarily all of the perceived “hot spots.”
“I want them to go to Arnie’s, to Perkins, to the Flour Mill, to the mall,” he explained. “I want to go for walks and show them Wal-Mart, take them to Ross’. I want to show them the places I have been and the places I have told them about.”
So far, the biggest thing Turiaf has shown his mother and sister is Gonzaga basketball. And they seem duly impressed – especially with the Bulldogs’ convincing 90-63 win over San Diego last Thursday.
“We were very stressed at first,” his mother said. “I knew (Ronny) would be pretty good but I knew he would feel really bad if he lost. I was very proud of him. He fought like a lion.”
Turiaf said his mother and sister, who are staying with him in the apartment he shares with teammates Brian Michaelson and Stephen Gentry, told him they “viewed the game very intensely,” and were “into every moment just like they were playing in the game.”
“Actually, that’s pretty funny,” he added. “I can’t picture that – her and my sister running around out there trying to score 3s against San Diego.”
When asked what had changed most about her son since he left home, Aline Cesar hardly hesitated.
“Even though he’s only 22, he’s a mature person now,” she said. “I know now he can make the right decisions and do the right things, even when I’m not around. And I also noticed when I got here that his room was clean.
“That’s a pretty big change, too.”