Lewis Era Coming to a Close

Marcedes Lewis has recently instilled a little March sadness in his coaches and teammates at Long Beach Poly High, where those close to the likable two-sport standout brace for the end of one of the most magnificent athletic careers in school history.

“Every time I come to this point in the career of one of my great athletes, I get a sense of nostalgia,” said basketball Coach Ron Palmer, who has guided two-sport stars such as Tony Gwynn and Willie McGinest over a venerable 23-year career. “I’m going to miss him.”

Lewis, bound for UCLA as a tight end who is expected to moonlight as a walk-on forward in basketball, acknowledged he’ll be a little teary himself when he walks off the court for the final time as a high school player.

First, he’d like to leave another team or two in tears.

Lewis and the third-seeded Jackrabbits (30-3) will get a chance at 8 tonight when they take on top-seeded Westchester (30-2) in the Southern California Regional Division I final at Long Beach Arena.

Some have compared the task of beating Westchester in basketball to that of defeating national power Concord De La Salle in football.

According to Lewis, it’s “nowhere near” the same.

“De La Salle was totally different,” said Lewis, recalling the electric atmosphere surrounding Poly’s 29-15 loss to the Spartans in October. “They had their [116-game] winning streak. That game meant everything.”

Still, Lewis realizes a victory over Westchester would put him one step closer to accomplishing the rare feat of winning a section football title and a state basketball title in the same season.

It would also put Poly back in the state championship game for the first time since 1984, also the last time the Jackrabbits won the title.

“Man, it would be great,” Lewis said matter-of-factly.

While Lewis hopes eventually to make his living playing football, his enthusiasm for basketball is evident as he sprints up the court, blocks shots and throws his 6-foot-7, 240-pound body around.

Against Los Angeles Loyola in the first round of the regional playoffs, Lewis scored a career-high 30 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as he overpowered smaller defenders.

For the season, Lewis has averaged 16 points, 11 rebounds and four assists along a front line that also features 6-7 forwards Bobby Jones and Reggie Butler, who are also expected to sign with Division I colleges. Unlike Jones and Butler, 200-pounders whom Lewis describes as “light in the butt,” Lewis is dubbed “The Enforcer” by his coach.

“It’s a lot tougher dealing with him than someone who’s 6-7 and 190,” Westchester Coach Ed Azzam said. “Whoever’s guarding him is going to need lots of help.”

You would never guess it judging by his basketball talents, but Lewis grew up with a football mentality, savoring the more physical game with the oblong ball.

“I didn’t know what a basketball was,” he said. “I used to watch basketball, but I could [not] care less. I was out for passing and catching the ball and running people over. I was just football, football, football.”

As he grew older, someone suggested using his height on the basketball court. But Lewis didn’t play the game until high school, where he averaged 20 points and was MVP of the freshman team.

That caught the attention of Palmer, who slipped Lewis a piece of paper listing necessary improvements in his game heading into his sophomore year.

“Work on the 15-foot jump shot, shoot with both hands around the basket and make free throws,” recalled Lewis, a member of the varsity team for the last three seasons. “I took that paper and worked on everything and have been improving every year.”