Final Four Preview: Ohio State’s Lewis no longer in the back seat
The wait was worth it for Ron Lewis.
His older brother, Lamont Carter, said as much Saturday after Ohio State defeated Memphis to advance to the Final Four.
My brother couldn’t make a layup in eighth grade,” Carter, 33, said. “It was perseverance.”
Lewis, a fifth-year senior, spent most of three seasons as a respected but limited threat for the Buckeyes, first because he sat out a year as a transfer from Bowling Green and later because the Buckeyes had big men to carry the load.
“He’s always taken a back seat to win,” Carter said.
But Lewis has been exceptional in March and has a leading role heading into the Final Four. The Buckeyes, who have won 21 in a row, will play Georgetown in an NCAA tournament national semifinal Saturday at 7:07 p.m. ET at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Including the Big Ten tournament, Lewis, a 6-4 guard, has distinguished himself as OSU’s top scorer in the postseason. He is averaging 19 points to 7-footer Greg Oden’s 15.7 and Mike Conley Jr.’s 14.7. Through the regular season, Lewis averaged 11.3.
“My team is coming to me to produce,” Lewis said. “When you come into this type of environment, you need somebody to lead the team and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
In a regional semifinal against Tennessee, Lewis and Conley brought OSU back from a 20-point first-half deficit.
As players cut down the net after the Memphis victory, Lewis’ brother fought back tears as he recalled his brother’s role as a reserve in high school.
As a senior in 2001-02, Lewis was the sixth man at Columbus (Ohio) Brookhaven High, although he led the team in scoring with a 19-point average and in rebounding (10.0).
“It was the best thing for our team and we won the (state) championship,” Lewis said.
He made an oral commitment to Bowling Green, in part because no other school besides Seton Hall showed interest, Lewis said. At the time, Ohio State coach Thad Matta was Xavier’s coach in Cincinnati, and he passed on Lewis.
“I’m embarrassed to say we didn’t know who he was,” Matta said.
Lewis played two seasons for Bowling Green and was on his way to stardom. He averaged 17.0 points a game as a sophomore, but the team went 14-17, and Lewis sought a release from his scholarship to return home to Columbus and play for the Buckeyes.
“I wanted to go to a winning program,” he said. “With me being able to come (to OSU) under Thad Matta, with all his success, it was just great for me. Being back home was great as well.”
He sat out the 2004-05 season under NCAA guidelines for transfers. It relegated him to scout team duty in practices but gave him time to improve. He was known for slashing to the basket but didn’t have a perimeter game.
His 3-point shooting has steadily improved since shooting 26.2 percent as a freshman at Bowling Green. He’s up from 33.9 percent last season to 35.8 percent.
His percentages in the NCAA tournament are even more impressive. He is shooting 51.9 percent from the field, 46.2 percent on 3-pointers and is perfect from the free-throw line, going 21-for-21.
He tied a season-high with four three-pointers against Xavier in the tournament’s second round, one of which forced overtime. He finished with 27 points.
“Without Lewis’ late-game heroics, Ohio State is beaten in the second round and it’s a totally different script,” ESPN analyst and former UCLA coach Steve Lavin said. “He has the will, desire and skill to carry a team for stretches in a game.”
All this after keeping a low profile last season behind Big Ten player of the year Terence Dials and following suit this season behind Oden and Conley, both freshman phenoms.
Though flying under the radar has become a familiar theme to Lewis, he says he hasn’t complained.
“You always want to be on a great team,” he said. “I’m trying to do the best that I can to help this team. If that’s taking the back road and sitting down and letting the freshmen get all the spotlight, that’s what I’m going to do for us to have great success.”
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