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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It seemed like a joke at the time. Following a 20-point game from Kira Lewis Jr. against Murray State earlier this season, the first words Alabama basketball coach used when talking about his freshman point guard were, “He likes to eat.”
As trivial as it might sound, that’s been one of Lewis’ biggest challenges this season. Reclassifying to the 2018 class, Lewis skipped a year of high school to get an early start on his college career. That change came with a few adjustments as well as a couple more meals a day.
“When he first got here, he was just getting into the meal plan,” said senior forward Donta Hall. “Me, I’m supposed to eat six times a day. With him, it’s probably like five right now because they are just trying to get the weight on him. He was just saying it’s pretty hard for him to eat that much in a day because it’s something he’s not used to.”
Lewis is listed at 6-foot-3, 167 pounds on Alabama’s official roster. Although that weight has gone up a bit thanks to some extended time in both the cafeteria and the weight room. Tuesday, Johnson credited team nutritionist Amanda Poppleton and the rest of the Crimson Tide's nutritional staff with helping to get Lewis ready for the rigors of college ball.
“I think from a physical standpoint, I think he’s holding up physically. He’s doing a nice job in the weight room. He’s gained some weight. It may not look like it to you, but we see the before and after from when he arrived in August. He’s stronger, and he’s getting better. He’s a guy that we think is in phenomenal strength."
Even the slightest bit of extra muscle adds up for Lewis as he bangs bodies twice a week against players four and five years older than him. Born on April 16, 2001, Lewis is the second-youngest player in the NCAA. If he hadn’t reclassified, he’d have been spending Tuesday preparing to lead Hazel Green High School in the Alabama Class 6A playoffs instead of answering questions from reporters.
“I kind of reflect on that because my high school team starts its playoff run today,” Lewis said. “I thought about it a lot last year, but now I’m in college so I can’t think about it too much.”
Lewis was named the ASHAA Class 6A Player of the Year last season, averaging 28.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.9 steals while leading Hazel Green to the state tournament semifinals. Adjusting to a much higher level of competition this season, he’s had to make some alterations to his game to maintain a high level of production.
“In high school, it probably was easier to get to the basket,” Lewis said. “But in college, you’ve got bigger, stronger guys, and they’ve been playing for a long time so you just got to pick your spots to do what you’ve got to do and get your teammates involved."
While Lewis hasn’t matched his high school numbers, he’s been one of Alabama’s top performers this season. Through 21 games, the freshman leads the team in minutes per game (30.5) and points per game (13.6). He ranks second on the team with 18 steals and third in 3-point percentage (37.5 percent).
“The kid’s tough. I’ll give it to him,” Hall said. “With him, (he) could have still been playing in high school right now. Playing at the college level, it’s amazing just to see him and how he’s developed with the time he has been here. Just imagining him next year, him getting bigger in the weight room because he missed some of that in the summer.
“With him coming in and how he’s been playing, giving us energy and how his points and rebounding has been going, I feel like it’s been great.”
Alabama (13-8, 4-4 in the SEC) will host Georgia (10-11, 1-7) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network. The Bulldogs have won just one of their past seven games, including six straight losses to SEC teams. However, don’t expect Lewis and the Crimson Tide its visitors lightly. That’s another thing the freshman has picked up this season.
“The most important thing I learned is everybody is giving you their best shot every single night,” Lewis said. “You can’t come in and expect to beat somebody because, as you’ve seen this year, we expected to beat some teams that we were supposed to be and they beat us.”
