College basketball has some known quantities, such as Iowa’s Luke Garza and Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu. But other players haven’t proven quite as much, despite possessing premier talent and showing signs of brilliance.
The Athletic ranked the top 25 such players, and sophomore Gators guard Scottie Lewis came in at No. 4. A former five-star recruit from New Jersey, Lewis had a slightly underwhelming freshman season, averaging just 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Still, he was improving by the end of the season and finished with 10 double-digit scoring games. As a result of this and his talent coming out of high school, many analysts believe he will be one of the top players in the SEC, if not the nation, in 2020-21.
Here’s what The Athletic said about Lewis.
The 6-8 sophomore is a player of his time. He led a Black Lives Matter protest in his home state of New Jersey over the summer, then stepped to the forefront again when he returned to Gainesville as one of the primary voices in a campus rally that included the entire Gators men’s basketball team, dozens of other athletes and many others from the school and community. Lewis has a dynamic, unabashed personality to begin with and how much he will continue to use his voice during the season — because he most likely won’t shy away if asked — will be fascinating. Oh, and the basketball part: Lewis was the consensus No. 9 recruit in the country in the Class of 2019, but his production (8.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists) didn’t totally align with that ranking. No one would question his athleticism or his ability to make an impact as a defender. The basketball-related production, holistically, is in question. Can Lewis be a breakout star for 2020-21, multitasking as a star for the Gators and for a movement among his peers?
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