Lewis brings energy, savvy to court

Reggie Lewis has come full circle.

Two seasons ago as a freshman, he was used sparingly off the bench for the FAMU men?s basketball team. Last year, he worked his way into the starting lineup, but was still in the shadows of Yannick Crowder and Amin Stevens.

This season, he is the one that the rest of the Rattlers are looking to for leadership. So much so that even as he is in a bit of a funk, coach Clemon Johnson is giving him plenty of minutes on the floor.

Lewis brings too much knowledge and energy to a game for him to sit through his shooting woes, Johnson said.

?Reggie understands the game,? said Johnson, who is in his second season as head coach of the Rattlers. ?He watches and listens to the scouting report. He doesn?t have the fastest feet but understanding the scouting report and he knows what to take away from individuals (and) that?s where his IQ comes in.

?On the defense end, if we say Reggie you need to be here because it?s the spot that?s going to be opened and he sees that that spot is not covered, he has the intelligence to move somewhere else and not be concerned that I?m going to yell at him. We can teach it textbook, but he understands the game on the floor.?

Lewis scored 17 points against Edward Waters in an 87-69 win Tuesday night for FAMU (3-6). It was his first double-digit performance since Nov. 20, when he scored 15 points in a loss at Arkansas.

As a result of his struggles from the field, Lewis? average has dropped from double digits two weeks ago to around nine points per game. Johnson figures that letting him play through the funk is more advantageous to the team.

Lewis doesn?t mind, even if he isn?t the one carrying the team like he did earlier in the season. Instead, newcomers like Jamie Adams and Jamari Bradshaw have been providing the offensive spark.

?Actually I like that,? Lewis said. ?I?ve never been one who has to always be the one to score. As you can see, I was in a funk so we needed other guys to score.?

Lewis developed a passion for the game at an early age, leaning the basics from his parents who were both star basketball players in high school.

He became one of the best-known basketball players in his Cleveland, Ohio, neighborhood and by teenage was playing for Daniel Marshall Foundation, a Philadelphia-based travel team that played the AAU circuit.

With nine new players on the Rattlers? roster this season, Lewis? savvy has been especially beneficial at FAMU, where his role has shifted from point guard to shooting guard.

When things are getting out of control on the floor, he usually is the one to take over and regroup the team.

They don?t only follow his lead during games. On off days, he rallies his teammates to taking shots on the practice court. Sometimes it?s right after a game.

?You?re going to see guys in the gym working on shots that we missed (during a game); you know, just trying to tighten up and doing what?s best for the team,? he said.

Source: http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20121207/FAMU02/312070019/1028/RSS12

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