Junior college is a dirty two words for top high school basketball prospects, right up there with Division II and summer school.
It, however, could be salvation for Isaiah Lewis, at one time a big name in recruiting circles as an underclassman at Christ the King.
The talented 6-foot-3 combo guard from the Lower East Side, who failed to qualify after splitting his senior year between The Patrick School (N.J.) and Arlington Country Day School (Fla.), has signed with JUCO powerhouse Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.
“I don’t look at it as disappointing,” he said. “I look at it as a second chance. A lot of people want to see me change, my game grow. This gives me a chance. I can play at a high level.”
“This right here is going to give me momentum, it’s going to change me around,” Lewis added. “Being in Kansas, it’s just work, school and basketball. I have to focus on getting better. It’s going to change what outsiders think of me.”
Lewis was ranked among the nation’s top prospects as a sophomore and junior at Christ the King, linked to elite programs such as Kansas and Memphis. But he clashed with coach Joe Arbitello as he struggled as a junior with shot selection and defense, was suspended for the playoffs and bolted, a decision he regrets.
Lewis admitted to mistakes he made, such as overplaying his recruiting hand to the media, leaving Christ the King following his junior year and not sticking it out at The Patrick School.
“I’m not going to think negative about the whole thing,” he said. “I’m trying to move forward. You look at guys like Pierre Jackson. They’re getting drafted in the NBA. I’m going to work hard and hopefully I get a shot. It all depends how you look at it.”
Lewis is excited about his future at Hutchinson. He’s eager to change his reputation, become a leader and more well-rounded basketball player.The coaches at the Kansas JUCO powerhouse have given him a clean slate, bringing him in after a thorough background check, telling him the only thing that matters is what he does from this point on. On a recent visit, assistant coach Jay Cyriac said Lewis proved he could play at Hutchinson’s level, hanging with the team’s returning players. which include local products Tafari Whittingham (Lincoln) and Darrick Wood (NIA Prep in Newark).
“Spending time with him, I think he wants to be a good player, he wants to do the right things,” Cyriac said.
While he said he isn’t disappointed he won’t be headed to Division I schools in the fall, such as former Christ the King teammates Jon Severe and Jordan Fuchs, he does think about what could’ve been. But Lewis also knows he’s in position to get there eventually.
“It’s going to be a different Isaiah Lewis,” he promised.
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St. John’s offered Christ the King junior center Adonis Delarosa.
VCU offered highly ranked rising senior wing Terry Larrier of The Bronx and AAU dynamo Team Scan. Wake Forest offered Bishop Loughlin and Long Island Lightning guard Khadeen Carrington, a rising senior who is being recruited by the likes of St. John’s, Florida State, SMU and Connecticut.
Manhattan College offered rising junior Desure Buie, a point guard from Wings Academy. The Japsers are his fourth offer, joining Seton Hall, Fordham and Iona.
Hofstra landed SMU transfer and Staten Island product Brian Bernardi, a 6-foot-2 sharpshooter with three years of eligibility left.