Last Friday Coach Tom Crean added a third walk-on to his class of 2008, Broderick Lewis. Lewis, a senior at Lafayette Jefferson HS (IN), is the eighth newcomer for this season, joining fellow walk-ons Korey Barnett and Daniel Moore, as well as commits Devan Dumes, Verdell Jones, Matt Roth, Tom Pritchard, and Nick Williams. IUplanet talked briefly with Lewis today about his game, how he is more than what his high school numbers may suggest, and how walking on motivates him.
Lewis played out of position for much of his HS career
Lewis averaged 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for Jefferson this year, a team that went 23-2 overall. He was looking seriously into junior college options and had drawn some early interest from schools like Ball State, Indiana State, and Butler before he came into contact with IU.
“Basically, I sent them some tapes, not too long ago, and I know they watched the tapes. Coach [Scot] Bunnell, my high school coach, used to coach with [IU Assistant Coach] Tim Buckley back at Ball State, and I know that they know each other very well,” said Lewis about his recruitment. “They followed up…and I came down for the visit, and they all just spent the whole day with me.”
Crean and his coaching staff definitely made a good impression on Lewis. “They were very kind… I think they’re definitely the right guys,” Lewis said of the IU staff. “Crean, that was my first time meeting him when I came down to IU. He’s a great guy, he’s sharp and he knows what he’s talking about, and the rest of the coaching staff is as well. They’re all just cool guys.”
"I can do a lot more than what I was doing on my high school team"
Lewis thinks that he can help fill a need at the 3-4 position for the Hoosiers this year, and he had a good answer for those fans that balk at his relatively unspectacular high school numbers: the fact that he played out of position as a post presence for much of his career. “We ran a three-guard offense [at Jefferson], and they shot a lot of threes, but [playing in the post is] not really my position. I can do a lot more than what I was doing on my high school team,” he said.
He said that he was excited about moving back to where he was most comfortable, and where he could maximize his skills. About what he brings on the court overall, he said, “I bring athleticism…I’m a swing player. I can rebound, run the floor, finish with contact at the rim, I’m a good passer…I’m just a team player.”
Lewis said that he’ll be working hard this summer on all aspects of his game to exceed the relatively low expectations that many hold for walk-ons, players that are often viewed as nothing more than practice players despite the fact that some (like Kyle Taber) become valuable contributors. He was quick to answer when asked if those perceptions motivated him. “Yea it definitely does, it’s motivation. Just trying to prove them wrong, trying to play as hard as I can every day.”
Lewis will get his chance to erase those doubts when he gets to Bloomington early this summer and begins preparing for this season. Let’s hope that he can just do that.
Special thanks to Broderick Lewis for the interview!
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