When asked who was the pattern for his basketball game, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman forward James Lewis Jr. went slightly off the board.
"Semi Ojeleye," he answered. "He's around my height and he's like a power forward, but he's a lot bigger than me."
Olejeye played at Southern Methodist University, averaging 19 points and 6.9 rebounds a game as a junior before becoming a second-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics. He stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 236 pounds, so while Lewis is close to the height at 6-6, he currently weighs 210.
Lewis has a little more experience than other UTC freshmen, having spent a postgraduate year at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., after a solid career at Northside Christian in North Carolina. He had scholarship offers from Radford, Winthrop and UNC-Asheville after his high school career and chose the Mocs this year over opportunities to play at Colgate, USC-Upstate and Kennesaw State.
"He's a good physical specimen," UTC coach Lamonot Paris said. "He's probably more advanced physically than most incoming guys and has a lot of potential physically. He's a good kid; he works hard, he's learning and has a good skill set. He just needs to learn how to play at a calm, slower pace and be more relaxed.
"But he has a good frame and he's a good kid."
Ideally, Lewis could get to 225-230 pounds, which would help him bang inside in the physical Southern Conference. With more new players than returning ones on the UTC roster, there will be opportunities to play, and with so little depth at the post positions, Lewis and fellow true freshman Justin Brown will be thrust into action early.
He feels he can immediately help with defense and rebounding, as well as "playing physical."
"I like that I'm going to be able to grow while playing," Lewis said. "Last year's team had a lot of seniors, so I assume that most of the freshmen didn't play much. This allows us to play and allows us to get experience and get used to the game a little bit more.
"This year I just want to be the best I can be and help the team the best way possible."
The Mocs return five players from last season's 19-12 team.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @gene henleytfp.