Marquette Basketball: Forward Justin Lewis a “freshman gem” for 2020-21

The Freshman Gems dives into the Big East Conference this week. Here’s a look at Justin Lewis, a potential star forward for Marquette Basketball.

The Freshman Gem series continues with a leap into the Big East Conference with a look at Marquette Basketball. Head coach Steve Wojciechowski looks to bounce back with some new talent in the fold.

Freshman forward Justin Lewis. Lewis comes into Marquette as a versatile 6-foot-7, 225-pound matchup nightmare in-the-making and he was such at the high school level at Poly in Baltimore, Maryland.

I first saw him play back in 2017 at the Governor’s Challenge which is held in Maryland, back when he was a sophomore playing alongside Demetrius Mims Jr., who is now at Towson University.

It wasn’t hard to see back then during his sophomore season that Lewis had a bright future on the basketball floor. He already had a basketball-build to his frame and could do a little bit of everything on both ends.

He didn’t shy away from the physicality of the game and was aggressive whenever he touched the floor. By the end of the event, he was named to the 3rd Team All-Tournament on DMVElite.com. From there, his stock grew as the offers and attention started rolling in for him.

After that, I saw Lewis again when attending the 2019 NBPA Top 100 Camp where he was much more polished as an all-around player. He can operate on the wing and knock down the 3-ball on offense while still being able to post up defenders in the paint and defend against multiple positions.

As a senior, he produced 19.3 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 4.4 blocked shots per game at Poly as they went 24-2 on the season and were on the brink of yet another state title victory before the pandemic deterred things.

Since his sophomore season, Lewis has expanded his game tremendously, while still remaining as dominant as ever on the interior. He still managed to secure 34 double-doubles across his junior and senior seasons at Poly and heads to Marquette from a final list of Maryland, UConn, and Virginia Tech.

It’s no wonder Lewis got a bump in the final 247Sports 2020 Rankings into the Top 100 at No. 97. His best days of basketball are surely ahead of him. As a member of the Golden Eagles, don’t be surprised if he grows into an X-Factor type of role right away or even emerges in the starting lineup.

He plays with tremendous energy and uses his strength and length well to impact the game on all three levels. Look for his star to grow as a freshman to watch in the Big East Conference.

What isn’t talked about enough is his ability to win. While at Poly, he was a member of three consecutive state title teams, making them the first public school in 3A history to achieve such a feat. If he steps in at Marquette and does similar things, don’t be surprised to see him excel at the next level as well.