River Lions beam up Scottie
The road back to the NBA for Scottie Lewis will continue this summer with the Niagara River Lions of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
In July 2022 while practising with the Charlotte Hornets’ NBA 2K23 Summer League squad, the 24 year-old from the Bronx, N.Y. suffered a broken fibia and tibia in his rookie year.
“It was my first injury ever and it was hard to be able to get through it mentally. I didn’t have anyone around me that had went through a similar thing so it was learning experience.”
Opportunity brought him to St. Catharines.
“I took almost two years off of playing and then at the end of my season in the G League I took a few extra months to focus on myself, my family and my body and get it to 100 per cent,” the former Florida Gator said. “This was one of the first opportunities we had and we took advantage of it almost immediately.”
He felt the River Lions were the perfect team to continue his hardcourt journey
“They are a winning program and they have been on a streak for awhile now. I knew I was going to be around good people and a good culture that wanted to win. I am here to become a sponge and help out in any way I can.”
The former McDonald’s All-American as a high schooler feels he has a lot to offer to Niagara.
“I provide a defensive presence, I make the right play offensively, I am a coach on the floor and I am vocal on the bench. I am a good teammate and I provide good energy for the whole team throughout the duration of the game. It is doing everything I can and whatever they ask of me.”
Joining a team late in the season requires a different approach.
“The best approach is to get acclimated with the team. Coming off the bench and watching you get a good idea how everyone plays and you figure out your rotations. Once you get accustomed to the timing of everything, you settle in,” Lewis said. “I think my second game is going to be better.”
Lewis arrived in Niagara Thursday at 3 a.m. and played sparingly Thursday night in a 83-77 victory over the visiting Montreal Alliance.
“It wasn’t my best performance but I am hoping to contribute more. I know what is expected of me and I know I can do that job at a high level. I am prepared to give myself to the team.”
Lewis was brought in to fill a specific role for the River Lions.
“What Omari (Moore) allowed us to do was have him and TJ (Lall) as our best on-ball defenders. We always had length and athleticism on the floor to cover the other team’s best guards,” Niagara head coach/GM Victor Raso said. “With losing Omari for five games (to NBA Summer League), he (Lewis) gives us that defensive length. He can really cover the ball and when he’s comfortable he can be disruptive on the defensive end. I wanted to make sure we had two very wing defenders on our roster.”
Lewis averaged 3.3 points, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks during the 2023-24 NBA G League season with the Salt Lake City Stars and the Rip City Remix.
Coming out of high school, he was a 5 star recruit and ranked in the top 10 of the 2019 recruiting class by ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals.
After two years in Florida where he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2020, he was chosen 56th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2021 NBA draft.
Niagara hosts the Edmonton Stingers Sunday at 3 p.m.
Visit www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.
