The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/81131
BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE Lewis also got a taste of what it is like to be the hunted instead of the hunter. Forsyth Country Day needed every bit of Lewis' skill, athleticism and basketball IQ while he was there for four years, while Oak Hill Academy entered each game as the favorite. "I know I can lead a team to a national championship," Lewis said. "I know that next year at NC State, we'll have that same target on our back. We just have to come out and play with a lot of swagger and know we are the best team out there. "We need to know that if we play our best, we won't be beaten, but on any given night if we don't play our game, we could be beaten." Lewis is spending the spring trying to get stronger and regain some of the weight he lost during the season. He is playing shortstop for the Oak Hill Acad- emy baseball team. "When I get to NC State, I want to weigh 170 or 175," Lewis said. "I'm do- ing a lot of chest and core lifting, and a lot of squat. I'm doing a full body work- out." The Wolfpack lose senior backup point guard Alex Johnson, who was part of a rotation with fellow senior shooting guard C.J. Williams and rising junior point guard Lorenzo Brown. Johnson averaged 19.5 minutes per game, with a high of 37 against Princeton, and 33 against both Duke and UNC Asheville. "I wouldn't mind having that role," said Lewis, who will wear No. 12. "It would be a good fit for me. Zo [Brown] is one of the best guards in the ACC. I believe if I work hard and get bigger, I'll play a bigger role." Lewis figures working out against a potential preseason ACC Player of the Year candidate such as Brown will pre- pare him for just about any point guard he'll face next year. "Playing against Lorenzo in practice is only going to get me better," Lewis said. "I know during the games, Brown will be a junior, and he has a lot more experience than I do next year. Zo is one of the best point guards out there, and it's going to be an honor learning from him." Lewis expects NC State to be no differ- ent than the other steps that have led him to this point. He'll be starting fresh and poised to add to his basketball résumé. "I had to build a lot of confidence back Lewis, who is listed as the No. 6 point guard nationally and the No. 48 overall player in the class of 2012 by Rivals.com, played in a total of 57 games this past year and won 54. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN up when I came to Oak Hill, and I'll have to do the same at NC State," Lewis said. "The stuff I did at Oak Hill will not mat- ter anymore once I get to State. That was how it was at Oak Hill — the stuff I did at Forsyth Country Day didn't matter." ■ MAY 2012 ■ 25