6 locals reach state playoffs
November 10, 2015
Houma looks to halt violence
November 11, 2015
Ellender graduate and former Nicholls State University standout Trevon Lewis has faced his share of adversity since graduating from high school.
But with one more shot to make things work on the hardwood, Lewis isn’t taking anything for granted. He’s leaving everything out on the floor in hopes that he’ll be able to possibly chase a career in the pros.
Lewis is currently a junior guard/forward at Voorhees College, a small, four-year predominantly black college in Denmark, South Carolina. The Tigers compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and are members of the Association of Independent Institutions Conference – a league that houses some of the better NAIA programs in the country.
Lewis said his goals are entrenched in his mind, and he’s more focused than he’s ever been. He said he wants to show both he and everyone in the city of Houma that good things happen to those who work hard and never take no for an answer.
“My goal for this season is to basically strive to be the best player that I can possibly be to help my team succeed,” Lewis said. “I also want to pave the way here at Voorhees so that the kids back home can have the opportunity to attend here also if they don’t have opportunities to play college basketball.”
The fact that Lewis is still playing college basketball at all is a true test to his grit and determination.
Lewis was a dominant force at Ellender Memorial – easily one of the best local players throughout the past decade.
In the 2009-10 season, Lewis helped the Patriots to a 33-win season, averaging a whopping 23.3 points and 12.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot, 5-inch, 210-pound standout also averaged more than four blocks per game.
Because of his prep dominance, Lewis received his share of collegiate looks out of high school. He opted to sign with Nicholls State University, saying at the time that he wanted to have a chance to play close to home.
“It feels like family,” Lewis said when he made his decision. “This is where I want to be.”
“Trevon is a versatile player who can play any number of positions at the next level,” then-Patriots coach Scott Gauthreaux said. “He’s going to fit in nicely there. He’d have fit in nicely anywhere he chose to go.”
The coach was right.
After sitting out his first season at Nicholls, Lewis was a beast in 2011-12 as a freshman in Thibodaux.
The former Colonel averaged 12.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in that season, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from behind the 3-point line.
For his efforts, he was named the 2012 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year and also Third-Team All-Louisiana.
“He’s done an excellent job for us,” Nicholls coach J.P. Piper said during that season. “Trevon has come in and really been a nice spark to our team and sort-of a go-to guy on our offense.”
Then it happened.
In the final game of Nicholls 2011-12 season – a blowout loss at the hands of the University of Texas-Arlington at the Southland Tournament, Lewis jumped up in the air and immediately felt pain.
“I knew it was bad,” Lewis said.
He blew out his knee, tearing his ACL during the leap.
Instead of heading into the offseason loaded with momentum and prime to make a run as a sophomore, Lewis was thrust on crutches and forced to halt his progress.
“That was tough,” Lewis said. “It happened at the worst possible time.”
Then it happened again.
While rehabbing, Lewis said he blew out the knee a second time – an injury that drained both his confidence and his desire to be a college student.
His academics slipped, which made him ineligible to finish his career at Nicholls.
Lewis transferred briefly to Angelo State University, but never played for the Rams.
At that time, Lewis said he didn’t know if he’d ever play college basketball again.
But fate was on his side, and the cards aligned for a big-time comeback.
Sometime last fall, Houma native and former pro basketball player Ben Adams made a connection with Voorhies men’s basketball coach Derrick Mitchell. After seeing Lewis play in men’s league and summer basketball action, Adams referred Lewis to Mitchell and the two made a connection.
Lewis enrolled with Voorhies in January of this past year, and has been on the comeback trail ever since.
“My knee feels 100 percent healthy,” Lewis said. “I have this year and next year left of eligibility. I feel I’m in a wonderful position with my career to take it to the next level and overseas.”
So with that goal in mind, Lewis said he’s worked on his game non-stop so that he can thrive once the Tigers begin their season.
With Voorhies, Lewis will be both a guard and a forward – a role that’s familiar to him because it’s exactly what he did at Ellender.
With a new, freshly rehabbed knee, a rested body and a mind that’s driven to succeed and thrive, Lewis thinks he’s ready.
Considering everything that he’s been through in his career, it surely seems like he has nothing to lose and is playing with house money.
“I have a lot of work to do to perfect my game,” Lewis said. “I’m working on numerous guard drills to help me become a more versatile player.” •
