9/27/2020 basketball Edit

Maryland lands local Rivals150 lead guard Paul Lewis

Scott Greene • TerrapinSportsReport

Publisher

Maryland has landed it's lead guard of the future.

Arlington (Va.) Bishop O'Connell 2022 Rivals150 point guard Paul Lewis announced his commitment to Mark Turgeon and the Terps Sunday night via social media.

Lewis, who had a breakout sophomore campaign for head coach Joe Wootten and the Knights, chose the Terps over Georgetown, James Madison and more.

A 30-point outburst at last winter's Hoophall Classic versus national powerhouse Mater Dei (Calif.) and five-star guard Devin Askew helped put Lewis on the map with a number of high-major programs, including Maryland.

Mark Turgeon and the Terps were Lewis' second offer and one that really stood out.

"The Maryland offer was big for me," Lewis recently told Patrick O'Brien of Phenom Hoops. "Growing up, Maryland was my dream school. When Coach Turgeon called, he told me that they had seen me play a few times this past year and they liked how well I can shoot the ball from long range and score."

Turgeon and the Terps have certainly done well with Bishop O'Connell lead guards in the past. Former Maryland All-American Melo Trimble also played for Wootten at Bishop O'Connell as well as the same DC Premier AAU program. In fact, Wootten has gone on record saying Lewis reminds him of Trimble. Maryland will also have Marcus Dockery suiting up for the Terps this season, another former O'Connell Knight and DC Premier product.

Currently listed at 6-foot, Lewis has worked on improving his body in recent months and could continue to grow. His older brother Matt, a senior guard at James Madison who led the team in scoring last season (19.0 ppg) and has a chance to become the program's all-time leading scorer, currently stands at 6-foot-5.

Although Maryland fans will have to wait a while before getting to see Lewis don a Terps jersey, he's already a skilled scorer who's style of play should fit in nicely.

"I think I'm a three-level scorer. I get my teammates involved and my defense has been improving. I like to push the pace and play off pick and roll."