There are many ways to describe Jordan Lewis and his strong athletic skills on the basketball court. Head coach Joe Callero calls Lewis a serious athlete with a “very good basketball IQ.” Teammate David Hanson said Lewis is the “ultimate teammate” who always gives 100 percent. His close childhood friend Ethan Andrianos, however, said the best way to describe Lewis on the court is to quote their eleventh grade English teacher, Ms. O’Brien.
“A teammate named Cory came in to deliver a message,” Andrianos said. “As Cory was leaving the room, the teacher said, ‘Oh, that’s Cory. He’s really good at basketball. But, Jordan … Jordan is poetry.'”
Fast forward five years and Lewis’s “poetry” skills are still making an impression. The sophomore forward is quickly becoming one of the go-to players on the Cal Poly men’s basketball team this season thanks in part to his drive and work ethic.
“Jordan does a very good job of hearing what we say in the practice, understanding the philosophy and does a great, great job applying what we’ve been teaching him on to the floor, during the game, under pressure with referees and bright lights and fans,” Callero said. “He rebounds well, he defends very well, he takes care of the ball, he passes it well … he’s been a tremendous asset.”
Although last season Lewis averaged only four minutes per game, Callero and the rest of the coaching staff have seen major improvements this season. They now consider him a strong leader on the court, with Lewis averaging 27.2 minutes per game.
“When I got the job last spring, the first week of April, we said that this is a new opportunity for everybody. So as we went into the spring, Jordan demonstrated real good strength and conditioning and he had an outstanding summer,” Callero said. “He basically earned a starting spot because of all the intangibles that he brings to the game. He’s not our leading scorer but he is one of our leaders on the floor when it comes to knowledge of the game and versatility to what he can do.”
It’s not just his athletic abilities on the court that has Callero singing his praises. Callero describes Lewis’ personality as approachable and warm and said that those characteristics shine through to his playing.
“His game is really similar to his personality. He’s very comfortable with himself and he’s very confident with himself and that parlays to being a good teammate off the floor too because he knows all the returners and he’s gotten to know all the new guys so he’s a very comfortable person to be around,” Callero said.
Lewis’ character off the court is just as noteworthy as his role on the Cal Poly team. While attending Terra Linda High School in San Rafael, Calif., the 6′ 5″ player was known for being a great friend, athlete and student.
“Basically all the girls loved Jordan, but he was nice to everyone, and a good friend to everyone,” Andrianos said. “He was definitely really serious about basketball and school but at the same time he made sure to have time for fun.”
Andrianos, who’s been friends with Lewis since kindergarten, laughs when recalling a different side of Lewis than the focused competitor fans see on the court. The way Andrianos sees him, Lewis is the type of guy who was “obsessed” with orange shirts in elementary school, used to do drive-by water balloon fights on unsuspecting friends and would spout out Harry Potter facts in high school.
“He just likes goofing around, hanging out. He would play countless hours of Halo,” Andrianos said. “There’s actually a sunken spot on his couch because that’s where he sits every day. The couch is perfectly fine except for this one spot where he always sat.”
Lewis simply sees himself as a friendly person who looks up to his teammates. He gets excited about the competitiveness of his favorite sport and smiles wide when mentioning that he shares a birthday with Michael Jordan, his favorite basketball player of all time.
“My goal in college is to meet as many people as I can. I like meeting people, I like making friends,” Lewis said. “You can come up and talk to me, I’m not going to just turn my back, I’ll always say hi.”
He’s also incredibly dedicated and focused on achieving his goals when it comes to the sport he loves.
“I’ve always just been the guy who tries to work his hardest and put in his extra time practicing and getting better at stuff,” Lewis said. “I love the game and I love playing it and when you love something you want to be the best at it. So I’m not going to try to be just the number one scorer, I’m gonna try to find what I need to do to make our team better and that’s the motivation.”
His strong love for basketball pushed him to seek out personal trainers and additional basketball coaches in addition to playing for a travel basketball team in the off season in high school. Lewis has been known to be so dedicated in fact, that he almost cancelled on his date to his junior prom because of a basketball game the same night until his coach stepped in and told him to go to prom.
The only distraction that can compete for his attention? Academics.
“I take a lot of pride in my academics. I’m a biology major. It’s not always easy,” Lewis said. “I don’t always get the top A but I put in my work and I’m trying to do what I can with it. It’s hard to balance it with basketball but you’ve gotta find your time for basketball, eating, sleeping and school.”
Like most college students, Lewis isn’t certain on his post-graduation plans. He’s hoping to continue his “poetic” basketball skills overseas but also wants to use his biology degree in the future. In the meantime, he will continue to push himself and work to make the biggest impact he can on Cal Poly’s basketball program.
“I’m glad that the coaches have that much confidence in me to leave me in that long and I’m trying to take advantage of the opportunities they give me,” Lewis said. “I want us to go as far as possible. It’d be great to come away with a championship at least one of these years I’m here and we’re working towards that. Fans, come out, support us and we’ll go as far as we can.”