Here are the finalists for the 2021 Guy V Lewis Award:
Sam Bradford, Goose Creek Memorial, Junior
Gaston Elie, Memorial, Senior
Bryce Griggs, Hightower, Junior
PJ Haggerty, Crosby, Junior
Ronald Holmes, Northside, Senior
Chuks Isitua, Jack Yates, Senior
RJ Keene, Concordia Lutheran, Senior
Noah Kon, Houston Christian, Senior
DJ Richards, Cy Creek, Senior
Ramon Walker, Shadow Creek, Senior
Shaun Walker, Manvel, Senior
The finalists will be invited to attend a virtual award reception which will take place Monday, March 29.
Previous winners of the Guy V. Lewis Award include inaugural winner Rasheed Sulaimon of Strake Jesuit (2012); Aaron Harrison, Travis HS (2013); Justise Winslow, St. John's (2014); Galen Robinson, Westbury Christian (2015); De'Aaron Fox, Seven Lakes (2016); Nigel Hawkins, Cy Falls (2017); Quentin Grimes, College Park (2018); Kharee "KJ" McDaniel, Klein Forest (2019); and Tramon Mark, Dickinson (2020).
The Award is in honor of College Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Guy V. Lewis (1922-2015), who led the University of Houston program from 1956-1986. An alumnus of the University of Houston, Guy V. Lewis led the Cougars to five Final Fours, won nearly 600 games, and was a pioneer for the game. One of Lewis' finest ideas, the 1968 "Game of the Century" pitted his #2-ranked Houston Cougars, with All American Elvin Hayes, against the top-ranked UCLA Bruins, with Lew Alcindor, in the Astrodome in front of a national television audience and a regular-season attendance record of more than 52,000 fans
"Guy V. Lewis had a keen eye for the local talent in the Houston area and was integral in making Houston the new hotbed for recruiting in the country," said GHBC Chair Rob Lopez. "Coach Lewis revolutionized the game and the way it was perceived in the country and he really put the spotlight on Houston. And now with Coach taking his rightful place in the Basketball Hall of Fame, the award has even more of a spotlight."
The announcement of the Guy V. Lewis Award occurs during Final Four week, a fitting spot for the award, considering that only eight coaches ever took their teams to more Final Fours than Lewis.
The Greater Houston Basketball Committee is an organization whose mission is the promotion of the game of basketball at all levels in the greater Houston area. That area is defined by Harris County and every Texas County that is immediately adjacent to Harris County.
"We are very excited to have the cooperation and input from the Houston Area Basketball Coaches Association, our partnership with VYPE Magazine, our great sponsor, committee and the local media give our award the credibility it needs," Lopez added. "The GHBC always feels like the best high school basketball in the country is right here in the Houston area. And by honoring Coach Lewis every time we give it out, we feel like we are carrying on the tradition of recognizing great Houston talent like he did when he was coaching."
Inquiries and information for GHBC can be found at info@guyvlewisaward.org
