Lewis No Suprise For Dukes

HARRISONBURG — It took a little less than a week for Louis Rowe to discover he found himself a point guard.

While James Madison was practicing for its trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands in August, the second-year Dukes basketball coach watched as freshman Matt Lewis continuously wanted the ball in his hands. Despite having never played point guard in high school, Lewis naturally gravitated toward the position in JMU’s preseason practices.

As a professional point guard both in Europe and with the NBA’s Miami Heat during training camp, Rowe understands the need for a player to accept the responsibility of the position. Rowe said unless a player is one the few true point guards in the world, being good at the position boils down to the desire you have to be a leader, a trait he knew Lewis possessed.

“Matt always struck me as a guy that had the will to take the responsibility of being a point guard,” Rowe said. “Matt from day one was like ‘Give it to me, I’ll take it.’ For me, that bodes well for his upside because there is a learning curve. … The thing is he is willing to learn and he’s willing to take on the responsibility and that to me says he’ll be fine.”

Lewis came into preseason camp knowing there was a decent chance Rowe would try to use him as a point guard because of his 6-foot-4, 180-pound frame. Therefore, he spent the summer working out with his trainer on ball handling and other skills he would need to play the position.

When he arrived in Harrisonburg, it became apparent the Dukes would be relying heavily on senior Joey McLean to be their primary ball handler with junior Stuckey Mosley occasionally taking the reins as well. Although Lewis did begin practicing as the backup point guard behind McLean, he also was learning JMU’s other two guard positions.

With McLean healthy during the non-conference slate, Lewis spent most of his minutes rotating between the three guard positions depending upon the personnel that was on the floor around him. The freshman said that experience has been very beneficial for him to acclimate to the college game.

“I’m comfortable at any [of the guard positions] now because early in the season I sometimes came in at the three with Joey and Stuck on the court,” Lewis said. “I think it’s good that I can play all three guard positions, it makes me a versatile player. It’s really no different, I’m just going out there and playing with energy.”

Once McLean went down with his ankle injury after the loss to Hofstra, Rowe turned to Lewis as his starting point guard and the results did not change. In his three starts, Lewis has averaged 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while missing just nine minutes of action.

Lewis said Saturday after JMU’s 61-60 loss to Delaware that he didn’t feel any different whether he was starting or coming off the bench as the sixth man. He elaborated on that sentiment Tuesday, adding the only difference in his mindset was making sure that he matches the spark he had as a substitute.

Whether Lewis is coming off the bench or starting at point guard, Mosley said the Dukes have been getting the same Lewis they’ve seen since practices began in August.

“We’ve seen Matt in practice so we know what he can do, and he knows what he can do, so he just plays his game whether he’s starting or not,” Mosley said. “He’s just playing within himself, not getting sped up, not playing out of control. So if you play like that, your turnovers will be less.”

Lewis’ turnovers — or more appropriately lack thereof — have been one of the biggest surprises during his ascension to the point guard position in McLean’s place. The Arlington native has just 16 turnovers in 19 games while averaging 28.2 minutes per game. He ranks 27th in the nation in turnover rate, according to Kenpom.com, and has more games with no turnovers (five) than multiple turnovers (two).

Although Rowe is certainly pleased that Lewis has protected the basketball this year, the coach also pressed his freshman point guard to attack more. He said he wants Lewis to play a little more recklessly in search of plays while understanding that those moments where he does make a mistake of aggression will be learning moments.

“I almost want Matt to be more aggressive and maybe he will turn it over [more],” Rowe said. “I know people listening are probably like ‘Oh my God,’ but I think a lot of times he’s so cautious that he doesn’t turn it over and I just want him to go make a play. He’s a freshman and he has this abundance of talent and he has a coach who really believes in him, [so I tell him] ‘Go make a play.’”

Although JMU isn’t ruling out McLean from returning today at 7 p.m. against Elon (12-7, 4-2 Colonial Athletic Association), it is more than likely Lewis will earn his fourth straight start at point guard for the Dukes (4-15, 0-6 CAA). He said he needs to learn to balance his natural tendencies of protecting the basketball with Rowe’s request that he be more aggressive, but he believes it will all come together in time as he continues to make the adjustments to the college game.

“It’s a thing for me that I have pride and I value the basketball and I don’t want anyone to take it from me,” Lewis said. “I think I can choose my spots more in terms of being aggressive, but that will come as I mature and see the game better. I’m starting to get more comfortable on the court, though.”