STARKVILLE — Everything around Wendell Lewis has changed.
Except, of course, his unselfish outlook on how to play the game of basketball despite teammates, coaches and everybody associated with the Mississippi State University program trying to convince him otherwise.
As one of the two returning players with starting experience from last year’s team, Lewis will be asked to accept more responsibility and the question remains: will the senior be able to handle being a spotlighted member of the 2012-13 squad?
“Last year I felt like we had a lot of scorers so I thought my role was to play defense, rebound and get people open,” Lewis said. “It wasn’t my job to score. I feel like this year coaches will depend on me to score more.”
As a senior at Selma (Ala.) High School, Lewis led his team in points, (16.5), rebounds (11.2) and blocks (3) en route to earning team most valuable player honors while leading his team to a 21-11 ledger that included a berth in the Class 5A state tournament. However the 6-foot-9 forward was still uncomfortable with being the offensive focal point of the team.
“I’ve already told (new MSU coach Rick Ray) that if I see an open man on the court then I’m going to pass it because I’m not a selfish player,” Lewis said. “He trying to teach me and preach to me that sometimes you have to be selfish.”
To be constantly told to shoot the basketball is not typical of the modern player but to be what players call a “ball stopper” where the ball gets passed into the post never to return to the perimeter is not in Lewis’ nature.
“I know (the game) is about scoring but I don’t what it is,” Lewis said. “(Coaches) are always saying ‘Wendell, why didn’t you look to go score?’ and I say ‘I don’t know but I was never thinking about scoring at that time’.”
Last season Lewis participated in all 33 games with six starts but even as the first players off the MSU bench for then-head coach Rick Stansbury’s rotation, the MSU forward averaged 21 minutes per game and accumulated 3.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest.
“I have an offensive game but I haven’t shown it since I’ve been here,” Lewis said. “I’ll be more active and score. That’s what I’ll have to do.”
In a media interview Wednesday, Lewis said it was never his intention to transfer after Stansbury retired after 14 years as head coach. The Bulldogs program found Rick Ray as its next head coach and Lewis, among the rest of the returnees, found a completely different tempo to the preseason conditioning.
“There’s just so much more movement and everything we do is constant movement,” Lewis said. “We’re constantly setting screens and rolling to the basket. I love the style of play though because it’s basically up and down running.”
For those that question the successfulness of Ray,’s tenure Lewis is one of those still with questions entering a new era of Bulldogs basketball. He has yet to play with all the new members of the MSU squad and will not see them until they all arrive on campus in July for the second semester of summer school classes.
NCAA rules allow the coaching staff to work with players two hours a week during the summer. This is different from the required four-player groups that were previously required. Four players — Lewis, Lativan forward Kristers Zeidaks, guard Shaun Smith and East Mississippi Community College transfer Colin Borchert are taking part in workouts and playing pick-up basketball in the new Mize Pavilion.
One of those players that Lewis will asked to tutor is four-star forward Gavin Ware, an All-State performer from Starkville High, when the freshman gets to campus officially for summer school.
“I’ve met him and he’s a nice kid and fun to be around,” Lewis said. “I’ve played with him a little bit this summer when he’s been around. He has a nice touch around the rim and I didn’t know he was that strong so it was a ‘whoa’ adjustment there.”
The hope is Lewis will be able to do one critical thing that is not score, rebound or any other statistical category. Ray will be asking Lewis to simply lead in a transition year of MSU basketball.
“You’ve got to be paying attention around (Rick Ray) at all times because if you don’t….you’ll be running all day,” Lewis said.
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