| 11/17/2009 11:42:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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Times photo: Brenda Steurer
Dana Lewis, a senior at Brodhead High School, signed a national letter of intent Tuesday to play basketball at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Pictured, front from left, Rhonda Lewis, Dana Lewis, Dan Lewis, D.J. Lewis. Back row, from left, Jim Matthys, Lenny Lueck, Brad Pickett, Chuck Chandler and Dane Lewis. |
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Lewis to rebound for Retrievers
Cardinals’ center signs letter of intent to play at UMBC
Chris Heimerman
For the Times
BRODHEAD - The University of Maryland-Baltimore County might be on the opposite coast from Hollywood, but Dana Lewis is looking forward to becoming a star for the Retrievers.
"I can't wait to get out there," Lewis said with a huge smile after signing her national letter of intent in the auditorium at Brodhead High School Tuesday morning.
"To play collegiate sports on a scholarship, it's sort of like being a celebrity."
Lewis' 6-foot, 2-inch frame and her unique inside-out skill set, tandemed with honor-roll grades, earned her a full scholarship to play Division I hoops at UMBC.
To get here, Lewis made the gym her second home, shooting countless mid-range shots to become a perfect fit for the Retrievers' four-out, one-in offense.
"I'd be the one in," Lewis said of the scheme that is similar to the one she's played in for the Cardinals. "That's what I'm used to. Then if I get the mismatch, I go out and the other post goes in."
During her freshman year, Lewis was told if she wanted to be a dynamic player, she'd have to learn to shoot outside.
"About my sophomore year, I found my shot," Lewis said. "Last year, a lot of my points came from the outside. It's come a long way since freshman year."
She was an honorable mention on the Rock Valley all-conference team as a sophomore before making the first team last season as she led the Cardinals in scoring at 14.5 points per game.
"I'm still getting there," Lewis said. "I'm ready for the high school season and I'll have to build on that after the season."
Cardinals practice opens today and first-year coach Brad Pickett is excited for his team to begin its quest for a fourth straight Rock Valley title in the South Division. While he spent the last six years directing the Monticello boys, five of them as the varsity coach, Pickett has been the in-school suspension supervisor at Brodhead for four years and has witnessed Lewis' gym-rat mentality.
"Just being around and seeing her work on her game, she puts a lot of hours in the gym," Pickett said. "She's got a winning mentality and has been a big part of the success they've had here."
The Retrievers, under the direction of eight-year coach Phil Stern, have grown accustomed to success in the America East Conference. In 2007, the Retrievers won the America East title as a No. 7 seed and earned the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.
The upstart program's success aside, Lewis was drawn to Stern's genuine approach during the recruiting process.
"I talked to (coach Stern) numerous times and it was good to talk to the head coach, not the recruiting coordinator," Lewis said. "He's been straight with me from square one."
Lewis picked UMBC over Toledo and Michigan Tech. She says she's excited for life on the small campus near the Atlantic Ocean, a mere 10-minute drive from the bustling city of Baltimore.
But mostly she's excited to pay back her most influential coaches, her father and mother, Dan and Rhonda. It's because of their willingness to provide rides, tutelage, and the finances, she was able start playing AAU hoops as a sixth-grader.
"It's been a lot of summers and a lot of money for my parents to get me here," Lewis said. "It's like the scholarship is paying them back for all the things they've done for me."
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