College Basketball
Florida Gets Impressive Recruit in Scottie Lewis
Not even 48 hours went by from when Omar Payne committed to Florida, to the Gators receiving even better news. Revealing yet another top 50 prospect in the country, five-star wing player George “Scottie” Lewis chose Gainesville as his college career destination. This is somewhat surprising as well as not so surprising news, depending on which college team is your favorite.
The Kentucky Wildcats kept Lewis on their radar early and often, as coach John Calipari’s program was the first to send a scholarship in Scottie’s direction. Lewis ranks as the 11th best prospect in the country, so early scholarships were expected. Despite the amount of national attention Lewis got, the two schools were always between Kentucky and Florida.
A Friend Follows
Many believe the main catalyst for Lewis selecting the Florida Gators as his collegiate home was due to the fact that his teammate Alex Klatsky, a shooting guard from New Jersey, is also going to Florida. The two took a trip to Gainesville together, in which Klatsky revealed his announcement three weeks ago. Klatsky’s father, Brian, is a Florida alum and team director of Lewis’ Under Armour team. It’s easy to see the friends and family connection, but perhaps other commits pushed Lewis over the edge in selecting Florida.
The Gators also landed one of the top centers in the nation as Omar Payne committed to Florida over the past weekend. Not to mention the Gators also got a top point guard in Tre Mann. It’s almost as if men’s basketball head coach Mike White has a completely new starting five coming into the 2019 season. The commitment moves Florida into the fourth overall ranking for 2019 recruiting classes.
Impressive Resume
During the Under Armour Circuit this past summer, Lewis was a machine. The wing player averaged around 10 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and almost two blocks per game. Not only is Lewis impressive on the court, but his off-court demeanor is something to be treasured.
In an interview with his school, Lewis claims that he loves building a relationship with his teachers in order to learn from them. That sounds like a coaches perfect player, someone willing to build a positive relationship and learn. His talents don’t stop on the court either, as Lewis is part of the Ranney School’s chorus and even performs his songs and poems at local coffee shops.
Much More Than a Basketball Player
Lewis isn’t afraid to tap into his artistic side, claiming that he has already decided on his focus of study while at Florida. Scottie wants to major in creative writing and minor in communications, two areas of study for any artistic writers.
“I would like to transform my writing into something I get paid for. Poems and becoming an author, just kind of spreading my work along with others.”
Lewis is also part of a fundraising program started by the Ranney School’s basketball team. The program is called ‘Hoops for the Homeless’, which saw it’s sixth annual event in April. The event sees basketball teams pay a $50 entry fee, in which all proceeds go to fight homelessness in the New Britain area.
It seems that the character and talent for this young man align perfectly for college coaches everywhere. Give credit to Florida coach Mike White, landing probably the most impressive recruit for his 2019 class. That class now includes three top 50 prospects in the last few weeks.
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Photo Credit: Joe Albino via Twitter
