Kyle Lewis probably wishes things had transpired a bit differently.
After all, what basketball player would not want to land at a Division I program in his home town and proceed to light up the box scores for the next four years?
Lewis fulfilled the first part of that dream when the Denver native arrived at the University of Denver in 2007, yet lighting up the scoreboard simply has not been in the cards for Lewis. In fact, the senior guard has watched his scoring average and playing time diminish slightly every season, yet no one will ever hear a word of complaint out of Lewis' mouth.
And that's why Lewis has established himself as one of the Pioneers' most important leaders.
With four regular-season games remaining in his Denver career, Lewis is hoping he can put together one more lasting memory as the Pioneers make their final push toward the Sun Belt Conference West Division crown, a quest that begins Thursday at home against Louisiana-Monroe.
"I think it is inevitable to feel it when you are so close to the end," Lewis said. "I just want to go out on a good note. Hopefully we play well down the stretch and in the conference tournament. February and March is always when you want to be playing your best. If I can go out on a good note, I know it will be something I can look back on and be proud."
Lewis has gained the respect and praise of head coach Joe Scott for the manner in which he has handled a reduced role over the course of his career.
Lewis arrived from nearby Kent Denver High School and immediately started 29 of 30 games for DU during the 2007-08 season, averaging 8.4 points while logging an average of 31.6 minutes.
Yet as Scott's system, which puts a premium on bigger guards, slowly rounded into form, Lewis' playing time suffered. While the 5-foot-11 guard started all 31 games as a sophomore, his scoring average dropped to 5.0 and his minutes were reduced to 25.1. Those numbers fell again last year, and this season Lewis also has had to adjust to coming off the bench, recording only three starts while averaging 3.6 points and 17.8 minutes heading into Thursday's showdown with ULM.
Nevertheless, those circumstances have not dented Lewis' attitude. Scott still marvels at how his senior guard is off and running at the outset of every practice, and he knows Lewis' leadership and experience need to be key factors if Denver hopes to put together a lengthy run through the conference tournament.
"To me, he exemplifies what a senior means," Scott said. "Hopefully, on our team senior doesn't mean I'm averaging 14 points a game and I'm shooting 50 percent from three. Senior means that you're a leader. Senior means every time you walk out on to that practice court, every time you go into the weight room, any time you're doing anything, you're doing it as well as you can do it. And Kyle has been really good at that.
"He's valued in a lot of different ways. I know down the stretch here, he's going to have to show how valuable he is because, with (Andrew) Hooper being out the last few (games), what's our rotation? Where's Kyle going to go in? And he's going to have to go in there for three or four different guys. That would be the definition of a senior-a guy who can go in and play multiple roles, and in any one of those roles he knows what he has to do. He doesn't have to light the world on fire. He has to be good at the things that are important to us. And because of that, I'm pretty confident that that's how Kyle will be down the stretch."
It should come as no surprise that Lewis, who came off the bench to make 3-of-4 shots during Saturday's loss at Troy, already has a sound game plan in place for the upcoming reality of the end of his playing career.
A finance major who also is earning a minor in economics, Lewis hopes to pack his bags for New York City to cut his teeth, career-wise, on Wall Street. Always one to think things through, Lewis also has a backup plan, as he hopes to perhaps land a job at the company he has interned with the past two years, Lazarus Investment Partners in Cherry Creek, if his New York plans fall through.
"I've always had aspirations to move to New York and work on Wall Street," Lewis said. "It's hard to go through the interview process during the season, but I'm going to get more into that when the season is done. One of the big things I've learned during my internship is that, at 22, I still have a lot to learn. That's why I want to go to New York. It is a very competitive atmosphere and a great place to learn."
