Kira Lewis Jr.: Five Things To Know About Alabama Transfer
UPDATE: Lewis has opted to remain at Alabama
Kira Lewis Jr. has decided to enter the transfer portal. Lewis was an elite recruit when he arrived at Alabama last fall, but after the Crimson Tide made a coaching change, he’s decided to move on.
With that in mind, here are five things to know about Lewis.
Teams are already recruiting him
A huge list of schools have already reached out to Lewis, because he’s the top transfer on the market. According to 247Sports’ Evan Daniels, Tennessee, Connecticut, Auburn, Memphis, Iowa State, Nevada, Pittsburgh, Georgia, Northwestern, Providence, Oklahoma State, Murray State, Baylor, Duke, Detroit-Mercy, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Miami, Arizona, Indiana and Louisville have all contacted him.
That’s an insane list of schools.
Nate Oats will have a tough time keeping him
Buffalo’s Nate Oats was named Alabama’s new coach on Thursday but it will be difficult to retain Lewis. The 44-year-old Oats had been at Buffalo since 2015 and posted a 96-43 record. He also posted a remarkable 59 wins in the last two seasons. The Bulls were excellent this year but despite that, a ton of Crimson Tide players have entered the transfer portal.
Lewis, John Petty, Daniel Giddens and Dazon Ingram have all decided to transfer.
He was a big-time recruit
Lewis was a consensus top 50 player nationally. On the 247Sports composite, he was the 39th-ranked player nationally, the ninth-ranked point guard and a top player in the state of Alabama. He only took one official visit and that was to check out the Crimson Tide on August 4.
He was a five-star player according to Scout, and a four-star on 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN.
Lewis went to Hazel Green High School in Meridianville, Alabama where he averaged 29.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists during his final season.
He decided to stay home for college to play for Avery Johnson. Now Johnson is gone.
He had a great freshman year
Lewis was an excellent player as a freshman during the 2018-19 season. He started all 34 of Alabama’s games and averaged 13.5 points, 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game. He also shot 43.3 percent from the field, 35.8 percent from 3-point range and 78.3 percent from the free throw line.
At 6’3″ and 170 pounds, he has the height needed to be an excellent combo guard wherever he lands. He could stand to put on some weight, but as he gets older that will undoubtedly happen.
He was the youngest player in D-I this season
Lewis was born on April 6, 2001. That means he played his entire freshman season at just 17 years old. He was originally a member of the 2019 recruiting class, but reclassified to be eligible for the 2018 season.