The Basketball Interview … Jalen Lewis
The Basketball Interview … Jalen Lewis Liberty 2018 guard Jalen Lewis is a standout 5’10 guard that can handle the ball, shoot from the outside and has helped the Blue Jays put together a strong 2016-17 season. Lewis has topped…
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Continue ReadingThe Basketball Interview … Jalen Lewis
Liberty 2018 guard Jalen Lewis is a standout 5’10 guard that can handle the ball, shoot from the outside and has helped the Blue Jays put together a strong 2016-17 season. Lewis has topped or tied five school records this season, becoming the first junior to score 1,000 points in Liberty school history. He also set the career 3-point record and tied the single season 3-point record, among others.
“Being able to see all my hard work pay off and being able to experience those great accomplishments have been my favorite part of the season,” Lewis said.
Lewis does not currently hold any offers, but has drawn interest from a handful of NCAA Division I schools and has taken an unofficial to Missouri State in Springfield.
PrepHoops.com/Missouri recently caught up with Lewis and asked him about his season.
PrepHoops — How would you describe your game to people who haven’t seen you play?
Jalen — “I would say I’m a high IQ point guard with the ability to score the ball from anywhere on the court my three point percentage and range is something that opens up my game because I’m able to stretch the defense which allows me to drive more and get my teammates involved im a very willing passer and an excellent ball handler who’s understanding for the game sets me apart from a lot of other guards.”
PrepHoops — Talk about your summer, what were some things that you were focused on?
Jalen — “During the summer going into my junior year I really tried to focus on my body I was able to gain about 15 pounds last summer and that really helped me take my game to another level because I was able to finish a lot better in the paint and play through contact while driving…I also focused a lot on becoming more of a scorer just finding different ways to put the ball in the basket and being able to score at a high percentage from anywhere on the floor and lastly just being able to assert myself as a leader I focused on becoming more vocal and being more of a coach on the floor.”
PrepHoops — Tell us about your high school team this season, how would you assess your play as a team and individually?
Jalen — “This high school season has gone very well both individually and as a team. I’ve led my team to having the best record in all my three years of playing varsity. We have a lot of first year varsity players and they have really accepted their role and stepped up to the challenge in helping us be very successful this year. We are 15-5 and ranked No. 7 and have beat some of the top teams in the KC area. Individually- I’ve really improved from last year in all aspects of my game I’ve taken much more pride on the defensive end and have really opened up my game on the offensive end. My role on the team has increased tremendously and I’ve done a great job taking that role and leading my team in every way that I can I average about 20 points per game and about 6 assist and have carried a big load in my teams success.”
PrepHoops — Who has been the biggest influence on your basketball career and tell us why?
Jalen — “My dad and my brother (Jordan Lewis) have been the biggest influences on me both played college basketball both have had very successful high school careers and they have just been great in developing me as a player and I’ve been able to model my game after them In so many ways just by the advice and guidance they have given me.”
PrepHoops — Who do you enjoy watching play basketball (NBA, college, whoever) and why? Have you been able to take anything they do well and implement it in your own game?
Jalen — “I enjoy watching Tyler Ulis because he is a guard who is not big at all not overly athletic but has proven time and time again to be the best player on the floor because of his skill set and his IQ and his competitiveness and I think that those are traits that I have i think the biggest thing that I have taken away from Tyler is his feel for the game…I believe we both have an excellent feel for the game and both are always poised and under control I think that anyone who watches the both of us will be able to respect how poised we are and how we make certain aspects of the game look so natural.”