Arizona may be where the 2009-10 season ends for the USC basketball program, but as it turns out, it's also where the 2012 season begins, thanks to a verbal commitment from standout combo guard Larry Lewis (Arcadia HS, Phoenix, AZ).
Lewis verbally committed to the Trojans on Tuesday night, after sitting down with his mother and AAU coach, Jeff De Laveaga. The 6-2 guard had unofficially visited the Trojans several weeks ago and felt that experience, coupled with strong pushes from USC assistant coach Bob Cantu and head coach Kevin O'Neill, was enough to make him a Trojan.
"Larry wanted to get it done," De Laveaga said of the recruiting process, adding that Lewis chose USC for the location, the education and the chance to play as a freshman. "He had a great time on his unofficial visit. He said it was a great campus, with great facilities and he loved the staff."
Though Lewis currently stands at 6-2, he's projected to hit 6-4 by the time he's done growing, which may take several more years considering his age. Lewis will graduate at 17 and won't turn 18 until he's enrolled at USC.
"There's tremendous upside with Larry," De Laveaga said. "He averaged 24 points as a sophomore and was named first-team all-region on both offense and defense. He can be as good as he wants to be. Skillwise, he does some things that not a lot of kids in the country can do."
Lewis isn't a national commodity yet, but he's known in Arizona as the top guard in the state for the 2012 class. In several months, De Laveaga expects Lewis to jump into the spotlight.
"This summer will be where they say, 'That kid is great,'" De Laveaga said. "But it's going to be too late. He's looking forward to being a Trojan."
Listed as a combo guard, Lewis is currently a strong player away from the ball - though he can be deadly running the break while on the ball. De Laveaga said he plans to use Lewis on the ball more this season to improve his ball-handling skills. He said that Lewis is currently a pure scorer, but his eventual height could determine whether he needs to stay at the "one" guard or if he can shift to the "two."
Arcadia head coach Luke Neibling said that Lewis could spend some time at point guard for his high school team this season, considering they'll be losing their senior point guard to graduation, but he'd have no problem keeping Lewis on the wing.
"What stands out about Larry is that he can go to the bucket better than any kid in the state - including seniors," Neibling said. "He penetrates as well as anyone and he's a good shooter as well. He's tough to defend against."
Offering a player during his sophomore season can be risky for coaches, as kids that young have a tendency to change their minds like they change their sneakers. But De Laveaga said that won't be the case with Lewis.
"'SC is where it's at for Larry," he said. "He's going to honor the commitment all the way through."
"I know Larry is very excited about USC," Neibling added. "He was more excited about USC being interested in him than any other school. He's gotten to know coach O'Neill and coach Cantu and he's grown to like them and respect them as coaches. And he thinks the future is looking bright there."
