Ted Ginn heard the stories and then he had to see for himself.

"Several years ago, my aunt in New Orleans [Patricia Ledy] told me that I had a second cousin playing college basketball out in California," said Ginn, football coach at Glenville High School. "I had never met him but I kept track of him by watching some of his games. After all this time, we finally met."

Just in time for the holiday season, Ginn and Cleveland Cavaliers rookie guard Jeff Trepagnier met for the first time following the Cavs' victory over the Bulls last Tuesday at Gund Arena. The reunion also included Trepagnier's wife, Malika, and his older brother, Albert.

"My first impression was how much Jeff and my son Ted Jr. look so much alike," Ginn said. "They could be twins. It was such a good thing to meet my relatives. It's a blessing to know some of your people went to college and are now on their way in their careers."

The family connection will also become beneficial during track season. Malika ran the third leg on USC's 400-meter relay team that won the 2000 NCAA championship. She plans to help Glenville's track teams.

Trepagnier, a second-round pick out of Southern Cal, also looked forward to this mini-family reunion.

"A few days after the draft, my mother told me that we had some relatives in Cleveland but I didn't know who they were," Trepagnier said. "My mother received a call from her aunt about coach Ginn. Because of my schedule, it took us awhile to meet. I'm glad that we finally connected because family is important."

Especially for Trepagnier, who is away from his hometown of Los Angeles for the first time and is dealing with a rookie season in which he's spent most of the year on the injured list. Trepagnier has played in only six games and has scored 10 points. Over the summer, Trepagnier averaged 13 points and two steals in six games during the Rocky Mountain Revue, a rookie/free agent summer league. At USC, Trepagnier averaged 10.6 points and five rebounds. He ranks second in school history in steals (204). His best season was his junior year, when he averaged 15.9 points per game.

Trepagnier has such great jumping ability that he competed in the high jump during his last two years at USC. He had never competed in track and field prior to that. He has the fifth best jump in USC history at 7 feet, 1 inch.

Trepagnier's first year in the NBA has certainly been an adjustment, which makes family time that much more important.

"I've never been away from home before, so it's especially good that I can be around family, especially during the holiday season," Trepagnier said. "We just met and I'm looking forward to spending more time with Ted and meeting his kids."

Ted Ginn Jr., a sophomore at Glenville, also can't wait.

"Ted Jr. is really excited about meeting Jeff," Ginn said. "Ted Jr. thinks he's a basketball player, so he'll be asking Jeff for some tips. But we're all excited and my aunt is also happy that members of the family connected."