by Michael Murphy, Houston Chronicle , The Houston Chronicle

But Lewis, who is in his third year as an assistant on Tom Penders' basketball staff, is proudest of the thick stack of magnetic calendars perched on one corner of his desk. The calendars are the usual giveaways, highlighting game days and designed so fans can stick them on a refrigerator.

But to Lewis, they're like legitimate works of art because the calendars feature a game shot of his son, Kelvin, the Cougars' smooth junior shooting guard. And anyone who drops by Kevin Lewis' office is bound to leave with at least one (and probably more) of the souvenirs.

"He's not amazed by any of this," said Kevin Lewis, waving one of the calendars. "If it was me, I'd be going crazy. I would have gotten a thousand copies and sent them out to everybody.

"But he's not like that."

That's not the only difference between the two.

Kevin Lewis is a large man -- 6-6 and packing on a few more pounds than he did in his college days in the mid-1980s, when he was running the floor as a high-scoring, All-Southwest Conference forward at SMU.

His son is listed at 6-4, but would most likely be risking perjury if he swore to that on a witness stand.

But it's their personalities that really make one wonder how the two could be kin.

While Kevin Lewis, known by all as "Ice," is a gregarious, fill-up-the-room personality, Kelvin is the very definition of "low-key." On the court, Lewis shows little emotion.

That economy also carries over to interviews, where a nod of the head or shrug of the shoulders sometimes has to suffice for an answer.

Team's leading scorer

"He talks more than you might think, but that's only when he gets away from the spotlight," said Kevin Lewis. "He's like his mom (Veronica) in that regard -- they both have the ability to keep their focus until the job is done."

Well enough that heading into tonight's Conference USA opener against UAB at Hofheinz Pavilion Lewis leads the Cougars in scoring, averaging 18.5 points.

Still, though, most of the attention goes to Aubrey Coleman, the slinky off guard who averages 17.3 points; Marcus Cousin, the 6-11 senior center who has been solid in the paint with his scoring (12.5 points) and rebounding (9.7); and Desmond Wade, the freshman point guard.

But a quick look at the stats reveals that Lewis not only leads the Cougars in scoring, but in minutes played (35.8) and 3-point shooting (40.4 percent), numbers far above what he managed last season.

"Last year was my first year here, so it was an adjustment," Lewis said. "But now I just go out every day and have some fun. The way coach (Penders) lets us go, all you have to do is play defense and you can do whatever you want (offensively). That's a lot of freedom."

It was that freedom that prompted Lewis to transfer from Auburn after the 2006-07 season.

Most assumed that after Kevin Lewis joined the staff that his sweet-shooting son would soon follow. But while the bloodline was a lure, it was UH's attacking style of play that provided the hook.

"Kelvin saw us against Kentucky, and he loved the way we played," said the elder Lewis, referring to the Cougars' 77-70 loss to the Wildcats on Jan. 3, 2007. "He told me, 'That's the way I want to play.' That's when I knew he was coming."

Wife/mom lays down law

First, though, a few ground rules had to be ironed out.

"We made an agreement with my wife when he transferred," Kevin Lewis said. "She said, 'Here's the deal -- if you agree when you come home never to talk about basketball, then we can do this.' That seemed tough, but we figured it out."

And it has been that way on the court, too.

"It hasn't been hard at all," Kelvin said. "To be honest, most of the time my dad is laid-back and chilling (while coaching). He'll tell me some things that I have to do, but that's about it."

michael.murphy@chron.com

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