DARIAN LEWIS

Emphasizes practice, perseverance

Darian Lewis, a senior at Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men, has always displayed immense dedication to improving his three-point shooting. However, this summer he made a deliberate shif in focus, dedicating himself entirely to enhancing his scoring ability around the rim and refning his mid-range jumper of the dribble.

“I believe he’s really starting to learn how to be a three-level scorer,” said coach Ventress Johnson. “When he frst came to our team, he was more a three-point shooter. But now that he is playing the point guard position he’s forced to read defenses and decide when to shoot and when to drive.”

Prior to basketball, Lewis was extremely passionate about playing football.

Afer watching the flm “Concussion,” which shed light on the severe and lasting head injuries caused by football, Lewis’s mother prohibited him from continuing with the sport. Tis forced Lewis to explore other sporting avenues.

“I began playing basketball in the seventh grade. I wasn’t really skilled, but my coach was nice enough to give me a chance afer seeing me run cross country,” said Lewis.

During his seventh-grade year, Lewis only participated in two basketball games. However, the summer leading to his eighth-grade year, he devoted countless hours to working on his shooting. As a result of his dedication, he was able to play in six of the 12 games, which marked a notable step forward in his progress.

Determined to push himself further, Lewis continued with his training during the following summer, leading into his freshman year. This commitment earned him a spot on the varsity team at Mickey Leland.

While facing adversity and experiencing a challenging sophomore and junior season due to subpar shooting and limited playing time, Lewis demonstrated remarkable resilience by refusing to give up.

“Tat was probably the worst of my high school basketball career. Just watching and everybody else playing was discouraging,” said Lewis.

Despite not getting the minutes he wanted, Lewis received encouraging words from his teacher, Marcus Watson, who emphasized the importance of practice and perseverance.

Lewis could have easily given up on his aspiration of playing on the varsity team and opted to join the junior varsity squad, but he recognized that such a decision would hinder his development. Instead, he decided to intensify his training eforts.

“Tis summer I’ve been going to shooting workouts every day, Monday – Tursday with my best friend Jarius Mattox, trying to get my shot right,” said Lewis.

Next season Lewis hopes to play a bigger role on the basketball team as he will be a returning senior. He also plans to continue with other sports such as golf. For the past two seasons, he has participated in both basketball and golf.

“I thought it was going to be boring, but once you get the sense of what’s going on, it’s a hard sport,” said Lewis.

Lewis has yet to decide on what college he would like to attend, however, he would like to study mass communications with a minor in business while continuing to play basketball.