Patrick Lewis may have graduated from Evergreen last year, but he’s not done with basketball just yet. After getting an honorable mention from the Cascade Conference his senior year, Lewis has continued to stay deeply entrenched in the local basketball scene. This season he has been playing for a new ABA expansion team, the Olympia Rise, along with acting as an assistant coach alongside Geoduck Men’s Coach Arvin Mosley.
“The team got together my junior year,” Lewis remembers, “and they were scouting me my senior year at Evergreen.” Moving from
collegiate basketball to the ABA has definitely been an interesting experience for Lewis though. The league has players of all ages, and instead of classes, Lewis and his teammates are in the adult world, managing jobs and family. “It’s not the kind of commitment like Evergreen,” said Lewis, “but it’s much more physical and more freelance basketball.”
Though the team might not practice as much as Coach Mosley’s team, they are definitely methodical and the competition is stiff. Having played throughout Washington in high school, community college, and Evergreen, Lewis frequently plays against men he’s played over the last 10 years, including men well beyond college years.
Lewis would like to continue to participate with the Geoducks as a coach/mentor as long as it can fit his travel schedule.
On the Men’s team, Lewis admitted to sometimes getting frustrated because despite Evergreen’s immense talent, they sometimes struggled during the season, with injuries playing a big part.
The Olympia Rise are currently playing the teams in Washington, Oregon, Canada and Alaska which make up the Pacific Northwest Division. Additionally, they hosted the Shizuoka Gymrats of Japan this past weekend at Evergreen and defeated the team by almost 40 points. Their next game is this Sunday against the Kitsap Admirals at the College Recreation Center (CRC)on campus.
By David Lukashok
