American-born Lawrence Moore has become the go-to guy on offence for the Huskies men’s basketball team this season, averaging over 20 points per game in over 35 minutes of playing time.

"Yeah I'm getting real comfortable playing with the Huskies,” said the fourth-year guard. “It's all the same as last year. I'm just more aggressive."

And being comfortable on this team means a lot for Moore, who’s moved over 2,000 kilometres away from his hometown of Chicago to come to the University of Saskatchewan.

"I think about home all the time,” he said. “I miss my family, the food, the weather. These are like my second brothers. It's a second family for me."

He’ll fly back to Chicago on Dec. 22, only to hop back on a plane on Christmas Day to join the rest of his teammates on the program’s annual trip to California for training sessions.

“It’s not the best feeling, but I’m just happy to see my family for however long I can.”

The Huskies other American-born forward, JT Robinson, is in the same situation, having been away from home since the end of August.

“Honestly, I can't wait to go home. (I) miss my family, miss my friends back home,” Robinson said.

The Vallejo, Calif., product hasn’t played a single minute this season because of a foot injury, but he says being with teammates and coaches has made the whole experience a lot easier.

“In a weird way, I'm almost enjoying this process because I'm learning a lot,” he said. “I'm learning the value of family at the same time I'm learning things off the court.”

Third-year guard Harold Memita hasn’t seen his family in Winnipeg since before the semester began in September. He’ll be able to spend 10 days with them over the break and is looking forward to one thing in particular.

“Home-cooked meals. My mom cooked a lot of vegetables and stir fry, so that's probably the main thing,” he said. “You know you just go home, dinner’s ready, lunch is ready, compared to here where you have to pre-make everything ahead of time.”

The Huskies resume the Canada West regular season on Jan. 5 on the road against Grant MacEwan.