Coach Jerome Allen’s first recruiting season in 2011 may have started slowly, but 2012 is already off and rolling.
Jamal Lewis out of Washington, D.C.’s Sidwell Friends School gave a verbal commitment to Allen and the Quakers in early July. Lewis had no qualms making his intentions known the summer before his senior year even begins.
“I just felt like it was time,” he said. “Penn’s been after me since my freshman year, I got comfortable with the coaching staff, I felt confident Penn was right.”
He added, “If you wait, other opportunities may come and it might confuse you.”
Lewis also received offers from Virginia Commonwealth, William and Mary, George Washington, Boston University and Delaware, and was also considering Harvard, Yale, Princeton and St. Joseph’s. But Lewis — who attends one of Washington’s premier academic schools, noted for also schooling Chelsea Clinton and the Obama children — knew he wanted a top-tier academic school. And a winning basketball tradition.
“Academics are very important to me and my family,” Lewis said. While he recognizes that the last half-decade hasn’t been on par with that tradition, Lewis, like many other recent recruits, wants to help right the ship.
“I love coach Allen, what he’s doing with the program,” he said. “Coach Allen has really turned the tide a little bit. Pretty soon we’ll be a major contender.”
The six-foot, 165-pound point guard said his skills on the floor include attacking the basket, as well as dishing the ball out to his teammates. “I’m a very unselfish guy,” he said. “I like to see my teammates succeed.” He added that he is an aggressive defender.
Where he needs work, he said, is on shooting, as well as his presence as a leader on the floor.
While Sidwell is not known for producing Division I talent — Lewis said the last player he could recall playing DI basketball was his coach, Eric Singletary, who played for Rice — the school did win the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament title this year. According to MaxPreps.com. Lewis averaged 16.1 points, 4.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game in his junior season.
Several recruiting analysts are calling this a big win for Allen.
Scout.com recruiting analyst Evan Daniels tweeted that “Penn got a steal in Jamal Lewis,” calling him “fast and athletic.”
ESPN’s Dave Telep wrote that “the young man has the potential to be the leader of the program and gives the Quakers a player at a pivotal position who is at least one league better than the Ivy.”
With star point guard Zack Rosen entering his last year at Penn, Lewis will arrive to a void at the top of the key. While incoming freshmen Camryn Crocker and Patrick Lucas-Perry will be contenders for the starting spot once it opens up, Lewis could be the next four-year starter at the point, much like Rosen has been.
Lewis’ arrival in Philadelphia may be distant, but one thing is certain: he will have an easy time transitioning to Penn Athletics. Sidwell’s mascot? The Quakers.
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