At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, hundreds of players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and underrated, and today’s edition will highlight Alik Lewis of Shining Light Academy.\
We’ve seen Lewis countless times over the years, previously stating, “Moving onto a player that knows how to establish himself as a scoring threat with any collection of teammates, Alik Lewis. He’s a smart, wiry guard prospect with the ability to create scoring opportunities for himself and others. Lewis can score the ball in a variety of different ways, but also understands how to operate as an effective floor general. He’s fairly crafty and shifty enough to breakdown opposing defenders. Next in his development process is working on getting stronger, as it would make him a better finisher through contact. Coach Orr on Lewis: “Alik attacks the basket on the offensive end. He’s an average outside shooter and not afraid to take it inside. He plays bigger than his size. He needs improvement on being more aggressive on the defensive end and more activity as a rebounder. Alike can work on his ability to move without the ball.†Lewis found various ways to make an impact at camp and should have a productive upcoming season.â€
It’s somewhat surprising that Lewis doesn’t have more opportunities to play at the next level. He’s coming off an incredibly productive season where he quietly led Shining Light Academy to their best season in over a decade. Lewis posted nightly averages of 25.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, 2.7 SPG with 53/37/72 splits. Not only are the raw numbers impressive, but they directly translated to wins. Lewis scored at least 15 points in every contest while only have four performances below 20 points. On the contrast, he also had six games of 30+ points. Lewis has always been able to create and score the ball at a high level, but his development as a playmaker is worthy of attention. He’s a polished offensive threat who can initiate an offense, generate clean looks for himself and others, and apply efficient scoring pressure from all levels. Lewis definitely has a place in the collegiate ranks.