NCS Freshman of the Year
JALEN LEWIS, BISHOP O'DOWD
To say Bishop O’Dowd freshman power forward Jalen Lewis served notice that he was going to be one of the top young posts in Northern California
early is his first season would be a huge understatement.
With 50 college coaches and two dozen media and analysts on hand to observe O’Dowd’s matchup with Modesto Christian in the 13th Annual
seven-game NorCal Tip-Off Classic, Lewis stole the show and turned a lot of heads in his very first high
school game.
What was most impressive about his 17-point, 14-rebound, and four-block performance in the Dragons' 65-49 victory over Modesto Christian was
his presence in the paint was dominating matched up against the Crusaders 6-8 Cal State Northridge-bound
senior Alex Merkviladze. For his efforts Lewis was name MVP of the game.
Now, after averaging 9.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for a team that went 23-7 and won its last 18 games to advance to a CIF Northern
Regional Open Division championship game that was cancelled by the pandemic, Lewis has been named the
Prep2Prep North Coast Section Freshman of the Year, and it was pretty much a slam dunk.
Lewis now adds the Prep2Prep NCS honor to a whole slew of awards.
There was little question he would be an All-West Alameda County Conference–Foothill League first-team selection, but on the bigger stage
Lewis was an all-Bay Area News Group Bay Area Metro first-team selection and a San Francisco Chronicle
all-Metro second-team honoree.
On an even bigger stage, Lewis was one of only two Bay Area and three Northern California freshmen to be named to the Cal-Hi Sports
all-State Freshman first team, and in the national spotlight he was the only freshman from Northern
California to make the prestigious BallIsLife.com Freshman Watch List. Finally, to top it all off, in one
national recruiting list he has vaulted to being the No. 2 prospect in the nation for the class of 2023
for players in any position, and the No. 1 national prospect that works in the paint.
“You know, it makes me feel great,” responded Lewis to all the recognition. “It makes me feel like I’m putting my area on the map since
Northern California doesn’t get a lot of recognition.”
For all he did on a team with two Division I level players, Cal-bound senior Monty Bowser and highly regarded junior Marsalis Roberson,
Lewis stepped it up in big games, and particularly in the playoffs when he averaged 15.5 points and 5.8
rebounds per game.
Against eventual CIF Northern Regional Division I champion Campolindo at the MLK Classic at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Lewis finished
with 15 points and eight rebounds and banged home the winning shot on a mid-range jumper in the game’s
final seconds of a 50-49 victory.
In the North Coast Section Open Division title game against Dublin, a 75-72 Dragons victory, Lewis had a double-double with 22 points and
10 rebounds and four blocks. Finally, in what turned out to be the final game of the season, Lewis had 18
points and eight rebounds in a 73-60 CIF Northern Regional semifinal victory on the road in San Jose at
Archbishop Mitty.
What makes it somewhat remarkable is he did it all as a 14-year old since Jalen didn’t turn 15 until May, and that included taking on
other bigs like Merkviladze and more than holding his own.
“I realized Jalen was going to be special from the first day he walked into the gym,” O’Dowd Coach Lou Richie remarked. “He basically
outplayed every big that we played against this year.”
The freshman season for Lewis and his Dragons teammates not only ended in disappointment with the pandemic wiping out potential CIF
Northern Regional and state Open Division title shots, the team had growing pains, particularly after a
rough beginning against national level competition that saw O’Dowd off to a 5-7 start prior to the beginning
of league play.
“It was crazy because we started off not playing well and we were selfish at first,” Lewis said. “We learned to play together and share
the ball, and the result was an 18-game winning streak.”
Richie has coached and seen a lot of the top front line players at both O’Dowd and on opposing teams over the years, including current
NBA G-League center Ivan Rabb who led the Dragons to the 2015 CIF state Open Division championship before
starring at Cal.
“Jalen can be as good as he wants to be but right now he’s the best big I’ve seen at his age of 14 ever,” Richie said. “Jalen is better than
Ivan Rabb was at the same age but Ivan became an elite rebounder his sophomore year. The only player I think
of that Jalen could be compared to is Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers if he gets to have that size.”
At 6-9, 215 pounds, Lewis is not at the 7-foot, 280-pound stature of Embiid, but he is projected to be 6-11 and he has the kind of physique
that looks like he could put on another 40-50 pounds as he matures.
Like all players from youngsters like Lewis to seasoned veterans, top-notch players all have attributes but also areas where improvement is
needed, and Jalen is no different.
“His best attributes are his ability to be coachable and his work ethic, and of course he’s ultra skilled,” Richie said.
“I think my best attributes are my hard work, shooting ability, guard skills and being coachable," added Lewis. “I need to improve my
rebounding for sure. “I need to chase after the rebounds I’m not supposed to get instead of settling for the
ones that come to me.”
Richie also sees Lewis growing not only physically but also in character and leadership as well.
“Jalen is a phenomenal young man, and as good a player as he is he’s an even better person. His potential is unlimited and we’ll see how
good he is going to become, but he will hopefully become a better leader and a better student because he’s
not just an athlete.”
The basketball season was cut short over three months ago and like every student-athlete, Lewis has been finding ways to stay in shape both
physically and mentally. In fact, on the day of the interview he and his father Ahlee Lewis, were returning
from the beach.
“I’ve been doing beach workouts and weight room to keep in shape,” said Lewis. “I’m also doing skill workouts in my trainer’s gym. To keep
my mind straight I’ve been reading a lot.”
Jalen and Ahlee have had a special relationship. When Jalen was just two months old, his mother Tiffany, a basketball and softball standout
at Benicia High, passed away from breast cancer leaving the parenting to Ahlee, a basketball player himself
in the 80s at Oakland High.
Ahlee started Jalen off playing basketball at a young age and has been a huge part of his development.
“My father has had the biggest influence on me in life and definitely on the court,” said Lewis. “He’s been very important for my
development over the years, pushing me to be my best self since I was three-and-a-half years old, both on
and off the court.”
Lewis isn’t the only O’Dowd player being raised by a single parent. Roberson lost his father when he was a freshman in the Sacramento area.
“Marsalis and Jalen definitely bonded this year because they’re both incredible kids, but I’m not sure how much they’ve talked about their
similar paths,” Richie said.
“Marsalis and I played AAU together a long time ago but we definitely had a bond early, even before the season,” Lewis said. “But he
definitely took me under his wing and taught me a lot this year.”
What about short and long-term goals?
“I positively felt like we had a good chance at winning state this year with the way our season was going,” Lewis responded. “It’s sad the
way our season ended but I definitely think we have a shot this season at winning state.”
“My first goal out of high school is to go to a top academic college that plays in a competitive conference,” said Lewis, who carries a 3.2
GPA and says his favorite subject is math. “The ultimate goal for me is to play in the NBA."
As for the first goal, Lewis already has offers from Cal, Kansas, USC and UC Davis with undoubtedly a lot more to come.
College is a long ways off and an NBA career even further in the future. For now Lewis will have to be content with working on his game
and his life with Ahlee and be happy with the recognition he has received for an outstanding season, including
being named the Prep2Prep North Coast Section Freshman of the Year.
Other players considered for this award include: Pinole Valley's Kaleb Allison, Dougherty Valley's Ryan Beasley, Acalanes' Jake Davis.
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