When fellow Quinnipiac men’s basketball captain and MAAC Preseason First-Team guard Matt Balanc takes to social media to call you “point god,” you must be doing something well.
And graduate student guard Savion Lewis isn’t just playing at a high level; he’s playing at a level few Bobcats have sniffed in program history.
“Sav’s the best point guard I’ve ever played with,” Balanc said. “I truly believe when Sav has the ball in his hands, we’re going to score … Playing with him is just fun.”
As of publication, the Bobcats’ starting point guard is leading the country in assists per game (8.2) and is third in total assists (49) through six games.
“I started off the season passing the ball a lot (and) getting my teammates involved,” Lewis said.
Getting his teammates involved has been an understatement.
The scoring hasn’t been what’s put him on the map — he only surpassed double-digits twice so far this year. It’s his passing that has Quinnipiac racing out to a 5-1 start to begin out-of-conference play.
“I realized that I have a really talented team, we have a lot of pieces,” Lewis said. “So as a point guard, that just makes me excited to get them involved. I just use my intelligence, my experience to get everybody involved and they’re the ones making the shots, so I can’t really take credit.”
It’s a good feeling for the Long Island native in his sixth collegiate season. After tearing his Achilles in a December 2021 matchup against Manhattan, Lewis was limited in his return to the court last year.
Now with a new bounce in his step, he’s leading the Bobcats — in the weight room, the locker room and on the court.
“He’s a veteran, so he has the ability to control the game,” head coach Tom Pecora said. “He’s making great decisions, it’s all about decision making.”
Lewis is in good shape, telling the media that he was fully healthy before the season, and has become one of the best guards at the mid-major level, something Pecora knew would happen based on his redshirt junior year.
“When he got injured two years ago, he was playing at the highest level he’s ever played,” Pecora said. “(He was) playing at a level where he could have played a lot of places in America.”
It’s not a complete surprise. After all, Lewis was New York’s Mr. Basketball during his senior year of high school.
Now just two years removed from his injury, he’s back to his full ability to be at the top of college basketball. His return is fueled by his off-court work ethic.
“I watch a lot of film,” Lewis said. “I think that’s what separates a lot, I get the answers before the test.”
That first MAAC title still eludes Quinnipiac, but with a healthy Lewis back out on the floor, he knows what his end goal is. It’s still the same one he had when he committed.
“I committed here and I had a goal,” Lewis said. “Due to injuries and a few obstacles, it set me back a little bit, but I just want to see it through.”
