By Kyle Jorrey

Devon Lewis is enjoying one of the most prolific offensive seasons in Cal Lutheran basketball history. He's averaging 23 points per game, shooting 44% from three-point range, 85% from the free throw line and consistently delivering clutch performances for the Kingsmen (13-3, 6-1). 

Lewis has garnered significant recognition for his exceptional play, earning SCIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors three times and being named Division III Player of the Week once. 

But what most fans don't realize is that this remarkable season almost didn't happen.

Last spring, after the Kingsmen's devastating last-second loss to Whitworth in the first round of the NCAA Tournament - a game in which Lewis went 4-for-14 from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc - the talented guard seriously considered leaving. With a year of eligibility left due to a COVID-19 waiver, he entered the transfer portal, wondering if he needed a fresh start. 

"There was a time when I didn't think he was going to come back," said Cal Lutheran head basketball coach Russell White, who recruited Lewis out of Pasadena High School as part of his first-ever recruiting class. "We won 19 in a row but lost the last two, and that left a bad taste in our mouths."

Unimpressed with the teams that showed him interest and having already earned a degree in business administration, Lewis could have hung it up. He might have - but something was nagging at him. 

"When I really thought about it, I knew if I didn't take advantage of my last year of eligibility I might regret it forever," Lewis said. "I was well-established. I knew the system. I knew the coaches. I already had everything I needed here. So I told the guys I was coming back to keep on living the dream."

And what a dream it's been. 

Dream season

A gifted scorer since his days at Pasadena High, Lewis showcased glimpses of greatness throughout his first four seasons at Cal Lutheran. This year, he's sustained it. 

"We've always known he's our best scorer," said teammate Stephen Davis, who has played with Lewis all five years. "We've always known he's the one who's capable of taking over a game at any moment. He's done that his whole career, and now he's just doing it game in and game out."

At the season-opening Jack Sikma Tournament in Illinois, Lewis led the Kingsmen in points, assists and steals in an upset of No. 9-ranked Calvin University. He followed that up with 31 points in a revenge win against Whitworth, 26 in a victory over UC Santa Cruz and 31 in a key triumph over conference rival Redlands. In that matchup, Lewis drilled a heavily contested three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining to deliver a 73-71 victory. 

And he was just getting started. 

In mid-December, he scored 43 and 41 in consecutive wins over Whitman and Lewis & Clark, shooting an absurd 60% from three-point range. Against the visitors from Oregon, Lewis sunk two critical free throws late to stave off a gallant second-half comeback. 

"He's made countless daggers, countless," White said. "He's been incredible. … He's playing like an All-American."

No one is more surprised at Lewis' prodigious production than the player himself.

"Right now, I'm kind of shell-shocked," he said. "I want to be happy and proud of myself but at the same time I don't want to be satisfied because there's still so many things I want to accomplish as a player and a team."

As for the accolades, Lewis said: "It's crazy. I'll be honest. Some of these awards I've been getting … I didn't even know they existed." 

Trio of super seniors

The most rewarding aspect of his success has been sharing it with his closest friends. Lewis, 22, is one of three graduate students on this year's roster, all members of Coach White's 2020 recruiting class.

Lewis, Davis and Tommy Griffitts formed a unique bond during their first year together on campus, when COVID-19 upended their season - and their lives. "There was a time when we were one of only like 200 or 300 students on the entire campus. So we did absolutely everything together," Davis said.

The trio, all from California, became the best of friends. It shows on the court to this day. 

"Those are my guys right there," Lewis said of Davis and Griffitts. "I mean, we've spent the last five years together on the same campus. We've been through the thick and the thin."

Davis, the team's point guard, said he's struck by how his friend has handled all the newfound attention. 

"You would never know it. He acts the exact same way every single day. Honestly, we usually know he's gotten an award before he does," he said. "He's super humble about it, or else he's really good at hiding it."  

Though the Kingsmen's offense has several capable scorers, Davis said the team recognizes that when Lewis heats up, they need to give him the ball.

"If he's going, we're going to feed him," Davis said.  "If he's having a bad game, he's willing to defer to the rest of us. And that's when we know somebody else has to step up. There's no ego involved." 

Stunning improvement

Asked to explain the significant leap in his scoring from his senior year, when he averaged 13 points per game, to his current performance, Lewis cites a concept he learned in his business classes.

"I honestly think it just comes down to the rule of compounding. This being my fifth year, having played for multiple years and just putting in so much work, it all just compounded," he said. 

White credits Lewis' work ethic, which he called second to none.

"He's worked really, really hard, and he still does," his coach said. "I bet he's in the gym right now getting in extra shots."

Having spent five seasons together, Lewis and White's relationship is complex. As can be the case with a star player and a coach, sometimes they don't always see eye to eye on the best way to get results. 

"There's a lot of love between Dev and I, but I've coached him to play a certain way, and I don't think he always bought into that," White said. "I didn't always meet his needs and his desires, but when he decided to come back we had a great conversation about why he was coming back and what he was looking for, and what I was looking for."

The results speak for themselves. 

"It's very fulfilling," White said of Lewis' performance this year. "But it's also been a lot of work. Just like our relationship, it's getting better, but it's a lot of work."

Lewis puts it this way: "Me and coach, our relationship, it's grown in the last couple years. Off the court I'm talking to him more about life, about future things. Now I'd say we have a good relationship. He's definitely hard to play for at moments … he can be relentless … but at the end of the day, he just wants me to be a better player. And we both want to win."

Inevitably, Lewis' scoring success has drawn increased attention from opposing defenses. In recent weeks, teams have employed a variety of strategies to contain him, including denying him the ball and double teams. Now the question becomes whether Lewis can adapt to these new challenges and maintain his high level of play.

"Honestly, this is new for me, so I'm having to adjust and to learn how to get through it," he said. "We have great players on our team. So when I'm getting more attention, I just need to get them the ball. I have no doubt that they're going to hit those shots. That's all that matters, getting the win, not whether I score 30 points or not."

Lewis pointed to the final moments of the Kingsmen's Dec. 14 victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor. With Cal Lutheran leading 75-73 and under 40 seconds remaining, Lewis, facing a double-team, swung the ball to Jake Martin, who drained a three-pointer to seal the victory. Martin currently leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage, making the long-distance baskets at a .500 clip (40 for 80). 

"There's no ego on this team, that's one of the things that makes us unique," Lewis said. "Shout out to my teammates. They trust me with the ball at the end of a game, and I trust them when they have the shot to take."

Finishing strong

Lewis believes that returning to Cal Lutheran was the best decision he could have made, regardless of how the rest of the season plays out.

"I wouldn't trade my experience here at Cal Lu for anything," he said. "I've met people that I'll be in touch with for the rest of my life. Plus, my teachers and coaches have done everything possible to set me up for success."

Though he'd love a shot at playing basketball professionally, Lewis is currently working toward a master's in financial planning and already has a job lined up for when he leaves school. He's developed a passion for money management and dreams of one day enabling others to reach their financial goals. 

But before that day comes, he and the Kingsmen have a few goals of their own.

"To me, it's trusting God, trusting the work and trusting yourself," Lewis said. "Do that, and the rest will come."