Monday, November 26, 2007

Q&A: Jerrell Lewis talks about transfer

Reserve point guard Jerrell Lewis announced on Monday he had left the Charlotte 49ers' men's basketball team and plans to transfer to another school at the conclusion of the fall semester next month. I caught up with Lewis on Monday afternoon by phone to ask him a few questions about his decision to leave Charlotte.

Q: Jerrell, how did you come to this decision?

Lewis: I've talked a lot with my family and spent some time going over my situation and decided it was best at this point to look to play somewhere else. I think Charlotte is a great program and I think it will have tremendous success, but for me, I need to be somewhere where I feel more comfortable and someplace that is a better fit for me. This is not about playing time or anything like that. It's just about a better fit for me.

Q: You haven't gotten a lot of game experience here. Do you regret your decision to come to Charlotte?

Lewis:
Not at all. I've learned a lot. I'm a much better person and a better player than when I first came here. This is just the right thing for me to do. I don't leave bitter or angry.

Q: Have you made a decision on where you would like to end up?

Lewis:
I don't have any one particular school narrowed down. I've got nothing set. I would like to be closer to home (Brooklyn, N.Y.). I spent four years in a prep school in New Hampshire and the past three years here in Charlotte. I haven't been around home much. The main thing, though, is to find a place that will be a good fit for me and my style of play.

Q: What prompted you to make the decision now?

Lewis: I've had discussions with my family for a while now. I did not want my situation to be a distraction to the team, so I tried to time it when it would not be. I didn't want guys on the team sitting around saying things like, "What's going on with Jerrell?" when they should be focused on something else.

Q: What do you think about the potential for this year's team?

Lewis: I really believe this is going to be a good team. They are working so hard. It's always been true that good things happen for those who work hard. If anything, this team may be trying too hard. There is a tremendous amount of talent here. They will be successful.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good Luck Jerrell!

Anonymous said...

Good luck to J Lew. Class act, just really didn't get a chance to play. Best wishes for him at his next school.

Anonymous said...

You really have to appreciate someone who praises the program as he leaves.

Some lucky team is going to pick up an exceptional person as their next guard. I hope Jerrell finds success at his next destination.

Anonymous said...

what a classy guy! with an attitude like that, he can't help but be successful...whether he ever plays another game of bb or not. i wish him the best of good fortune.