We are still about 5 weeks away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with San Diego State women’s assistant coach Kellie Lewis, who talked about making the WNIT last March and her expectations for this season.
You grew up in California and won 4 Sierra Foothill League Championships as a player at Placer High School: how big a deal was it to later become the 1st women’s basketball player inducted into your school’s athletic Hall of Fame? It is probably top-2 among my life accomplishments. We have had some really good players come through the school and even a couple who won a state title.
You were a 2-time captain as a player at Boise State: what is the key to being a good leader? As a PG I naturally had to lead from that position. You need to know your system, communicate what your coaches want, and pick things up quickly.
You majored in social science/public affairs with an emphasis in sociology/psychology: which of those subjects serves you best as a basketball coach? Definitely the psychology part. It was a long time ago but learning/reading people and figuring out what motivates them is very important.
You were a 4-time all-conference all-academic selection: how did you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I would like to give a profound answer…but academics just came easily to me. I had some high goals during high school and pushed myself hard to reach them, which made the transition to college easier, as did the fact that I enjoyed my classes.
You remain #4 in school history with 80.7 FT%: what is the secret to making FTs? The best part of my game was my ability to shoot so that was a stat that made sense for me. I did not get rattled under pressure, which has also helped me as a coach, so I was able to maintain my confidence.
In 2012 you were named head coach at FAU: what is the biggest difference between being a head coach vs. being an assistant coach? You have to carry so many other things on your plate as a head coach and so little of it involves what goes on between the lines. You cannot really understand all of it until you are thrown into it. There are so many other things to manage/deal with so as an assistant I try to make the head coach’s job as easy as it can be.
At FAU your team had the 2nd-highest scoring offense in school history, and as an assistant at Colorado State your team had the 2nd-fewest turnovers/game in the nation: is it easier to teach players how to score or how to not turn the ball over? I think it is hard to teach them how to take care of the ball. At FAU I had players with certain skill sets that I could build around, which seemed easier.
Last spring your women’s team at San Diego State made the WNIT and your men’s team made the NCAA title game: how excited was the city to see both teams having such success simultaneously? It was awesome: kudos to the men for their unbelievable run! It was not surprising to me because those players are in the gym all the time. We had a lot of 5th-year seniors using their COVID year and they deserved to go out by making it to the postseason. The way that the fans got behind both teams was pretty cool.
You have 6 seniors on the roster: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success? They will be a big piece of who we are. We have added some transfers as well but the biggest thing is to get everyone on the same page. We do not have to coach effort so once they understand what we are trying to do that leadership will be big for us.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? The #1 expectation is to compete/play hard, and then the rest will take care of itself. We will celebrate the big/small victories and will continue to get better every day by excelling at the little things.