Recruiting Report: 2018 Isaiah Lewis (Video)
One of Louisiana’s top prospects bolted for Texas prior to the 2015-16 season but 2018 Isaiah Lewis is back in The Boot for 2016-17. The 6-foot-5 wing player was once suited up at St. Augustine in New Orleans as a freshman but transferred to the infamous Advanced Prep Institute where he played as a sophomore.
In April, the NCAA ruled it would not accept courses from the Dallas-based school, and API’s gaudy collection of talent scattered across the country. The group included eight Division I players including three consensus top 20 prospects, a glimpse into the company Lewis was keeping in Dallas.
“The experience was way different for me,” said Lewis, who’s now enrolled at Helen Cox. “The competition was better and more competitive, there were smaller classes and we practiced a few times a day.”
After helping API to a 34-7 record, Lewis spent the summer on the AAU circuit with Texas’ Beast Mode and Louisiana’s New Orleans Elite. In 12 games, he was Beast Mode’s leading scorer and rebounder with 9.7 points and 5.2 boards. He was also second on the team in steals with 15 and brought the same skill set to New Orleans Elite over the last portion of the summer.
“My strengths are my aggressiveness and my finishing ability around the basket,” said Lewis, who was one of the top performers at Louisiana’s Top 250 Expo. “I try to be a motivator and a leader and make plays for my team too, I play good defense and I can knock down shots and create shots.”
Lewis paints a fairly accurate picture of himself as intensity and explosion are the linchpins of his game. He’s a high-level competitor that rises to the occasion and his athleticism allows him to finish above the rim in impressive fashion.
Lewis also has a strong handle and good quickness that helps him get by defenders in one-on-one situations and he tries to implement parts of perhaps the NBA’s top competitor into his game as well.
“I try watching Russell Westbrook a lot — I love his game,” said Lewis, who has a couple of areas where he wants to improve his own game. “I want to get better at shooting and making good decisions on the court.”
Those are certainly the two biggest impediments to Lewis’ game right now but he did show the ability to knock down a few open jumpers with New Orleans Elite over the last half of the summer. His aggressiveness also leads to rushed decision-making and turnovers at times but the payoff usually outweighs his mistakes.
Lewis said he’s heard from Arkansas, Louisiana Tech and three Southland Conference schools in the University of New Orleans, Southeastern and Incarnate Word. The list is sure to grow as more programs see the potential in Lewis, who is also working to improve his standing in the classroom with extra tutoring.