Home is Los Angeles. Andre Patterson is a long way from home.

But home is always in his heart.

And home is always on his shoes.

Tuesday night was no different. While Patterson was scoring a career-high 21 points in Tennessee's 83-76 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette at Thompson-Boling Arena, he was surrounded by family and friends.

Well, his feet were anyway.

Zoom in on Patterson's sneakers. Check out the names scrawled here and there in black marker.

"The right shoe, this is my whole family I grew up with here,'' Patterson explained. "My mom, my auntie, my little sister. My brother, my dad.

"All of us in one house at one point. It's like I'm playing for all of them.''

The left shoe is sadder memories.

"This side,'' Patterson said, "is some of my friends who passed away.

"Two of my best friends passed away. One is in jail. It's tough.''

Jemere Hendrix's name is on the left shoe.

"He's not on the team anymore, so I call this one my fallen-soldier shoe.''

There was a black smudge on the left toe. Somebody get crossed off the list?

"No, somebody stepped on my toe during the game. I've got to fix that.''

Patterson started decorating his shoes in high school. He took the ritual to UCLA with him for his two years as a Bruin.

It means even more now that he's on the other side of the continent.

"I'm not really superstitious,'' he said. "This just makes me feel better.

"I just want to show how I was raised. That I'm a good kid. I was just bringing that with me everywhere I go.''

Tennessee is Patterson's second-chance school. He came at Buzz Peterson's invitation after academics sabotaged a promising start at UCLA.

In a sense, this is Patterson's second-chance season. He was suspended from the team in October by new coach Bruce Pearl after getting involved in altercation with a UT football player.

He earned his way back into good graces, although the season-opening game last Friday was hardly a triumphant return.

He came off the bench, missed a couple of shots and retreated into a shell.

"I'm kind of like a perfectionist,'' he said. "That can be bad for me because if I miss a couple of shots I get down on myself.''

Between Friday and Tuesday, Patterson got in the gym and doctored his shot and his confidence.

When he came off the bench against the Ragin' Cajuns, he was doing some ragin' himself.

Patterson scored 14 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting. He ran the floor. He dunked.

He even hit a 3-pointer, which equals his total from last year.

In the second half, he missed all four shots but he refused to crawl back in his shell.

He hit seven of 11 free throws, several in a tense stretch run during which the Vols saw a 21-point lead disappear and then went and won the game again.

"Andre's been there and done that,'' said Pearl. "He wants the ball. He's not afraid to be on the line late.''

If you grow up in L.A., chances are you're not afraid of anything on a basketball court. Except, maybe, letting down the people who matter.

"I talked to my grandmother Sunday and told her I had a bad game last Friday,'' Patterson said. "She said to have a better game so I tried to play for her a little bit tonight.''

But not just for her. For all those other names scribbled on his sneakers, too.

The aunts and little sisters and the fallen soldiers.