High Majors in Hot Pursuit of 2022 Point Guard Paul Lewis After Hoophall
Last week at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) point guard Paul Lewis defined what it means to seize the moment.
Sure, he was playing at the Spalding Hoophall Classic, arguably the country’s top high school basketball showcase event, in his first year of varsity, and, yeah, he’d have to go head-to-head against Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and its star point guard Devin Askew, who is signed to Kentucky, but, well, his team needed a win.
“That’s all that mattered to me,” Lewis said. “I was gonna do whatever it took to get that done.”
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Lewis, a sophomore, posted 30 points on 12-of-17 from the field to lead the Knights past Mater Dei 73-72. He was subsequently named Most Outstanding Player of the game.
Not bad for a guy who suited up on the junior varsity team just last year.
“Good timing,” Lewis said with a laugh. “It was a big stage and all of the coaches were there. Before that game I had Old Dominion showing a little interest, but not much. Other than that, nobody.”
Paul Lewis has a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Jon Lopez
Since outdueling Askew, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Georgetown and Connecticut have all come calling.
Bishop O’Connell coach Joe Wootten said Lewis reminded him of former Maryland star point guard Melo Trimble, who now plays professionally in Australia.
“Paul is a great competitor, he gets guys involved and he can really shoot it with great range,” Wootten said. “He’s an excellent defender and rebounds really well too. He’s the complete package, and he’s only getting better.”
Lewis’ stat-line is that ultimate cosign for that forecast, averaging 16.4 points a game and posting a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, one of the most grueling conferences in the country.
“Getting a little bit of credit and recognition motivates me so much,” Lewis said. “I just want to work harder now. Just seeing what that can do for you gives me so much more motivation.”