NEW ORLEANS, LA. Thursday, July 9, 2020 –St. Augustine High School has named Gerald Lewis the new head coach of the St. Augustine Basketball team. Lewis becomes the seventh head coach in St. Augustine’s basketball history.
“We are very excited to announce Gerald Lewis as our new head basketball coach,” said Gerald DeBose, principal of St. Augustine High School. “I’m confident that he will continue to build upon the great basketball tradition at St. Augustine. He values attention to detail and has structured his programs to develop players of character while building a successful team. I am pleased to welcome Coach Lewis to the Purple Knight family.”
Lewis most recently served as a coach at David W. Carter High School in Dallas, Texas. While in Dallas he coached current NBA All-star Paschal Siakam, as well as R.J. Hampton, a projected first-round draft pick in the 2020 NBA draft. At the collegiate level, Lewis served as the director of basketball operations at Southern Methodist University and held assistant coaching positions at Southeastern Louisiana University and New Mexico State University.
“I’m humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the rich tradition of St. Augustine Basketball,” said Lewis. “St. Augustine is an extraordinary place with a strong tradition of excellence. To be able to join this historic institution is truly an honor, and I can’t wait to get started.”
As a student at Southern Methodist University, Lewis had a successful four-year playing career averaging 13.7 points in his senior season as an All-Southwest Conference performer. He helped lead the Mustangs to the conference championship and the NCAA tournament. Lewis later embarked on a six-year professional career in the Croatian Basketball League, earning all-star honors five times.
“Coach Lewis will bring a great deal of coaching experience to our court,” Barret Rey, St. Augustine High School athletic director added. “We are very excited about the future of our basketball program under his leadership.”
A New Orleans native, Lewis holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Southern Methodist University, and a master of arts education in curriculum and instruction from New Mexico State University. A 1989 graduate of St. Martin’s Episcopal School, Lewis was inducted into the St. Martin’s Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.
Lewis takes over for Mitchell Johnson, who guided the Purple Knights for the last eight seasons, most recently to the 2019 Louisiana High School Athletic Association Basketball Championship, where the team finished second in the state.
Press release courtesy of St Augustine High School
