Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) boys basketball coach Lou Richie had his team and their families over to his home in the Oakland Hills Sunday for a Fourth of July celebration. Among them was rising five-star junior post
Jalen Lewis.
Richie sought out the 6-foot-10, 235-pounder, who just turned 16 in May. Not to talk basketball. Not to inquire about "the decision." He just wanted to take a selfie of the two together.
"During all our time together we never had a photo of just Jalen and I," Richie said. "It was time."
And now the time is gone. At least from a coach and player perspective.
On Friday, Lewis became the youngest U.S. prospect to sign a professional basketball contract, inking with the new Overtime Elite pro league. He is ranked the No. 12 recruit overall for the Class of 2023 by 247Sports and No. 2 by ESPN.
Jalen Lewis as a freshman while leading Bishop O'Dowd to the Northern California Open Division title game.
File photo by Greg Jungferman
Lewis joins a league that has raised major capital in hopes of becoming a legitimate alternative for elite high school and international prospects, such as previous five-star signees as
Amen and
Ausar Thompson from the Class of 2022, and
Matthew and
Ryan Bewley in the Class of 2023.
Spain's Jean Montero — a projected 2022 top-20 draft pick — has also signed with Overtime Elite. See
complete list of high school players jumping to professional level.
But Lewis is thus far the youngest, raising questions about just how young will the league go. Lewis will bypass his final two seasons in high school and college offers from UCLA, Kentucky and Duke but is guaranteed an annual salary of at least $100,000. Reports say that all told, Lewis' multiyear deal is worth more than $1 million.
All OTE players are also given up to $100,000 in college tuition if they leave professional basketball. The league also maintains that players receive shares of equity in Overtime, in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including
through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.
Richie's reaction to the news Friday was mixed, though largely and overwhelmingly positive.
"I've been preparing for the hurt and pain and disappointment of not being able to continue our goal of winning a state championship," he said. "I'll of course miss the opportunity to coach and be around such a positive, grounded, humble, polite, hard-working young man the next two years.
"But taking that out of the equation, how can you just not feel good and root for a father and son who did all their due diligence to make the best and right decision for themselves? He's the youngest player in U.S. history to play professionally. How can you not feel good about that?
"I give them nothing but love and support for their decision and the amazing path that follows."
During the summer months, Richie likes to unplug every morning, to focus on fitness and family. By mid-morning Friday, when he checked his messages, there were "at least" 50 unread text and phone messages.
All were about Lewis' decision to leave. Richie hadn't heard the news. It was all over social media.
"We knew it was coming," Richie said. "We just didn't know when everything would be ironed out."
Lewis' father Ahlee, a former Oakland High and UC Davis standout, hand-picked O'Dowd largely because of Richie, whom he played against in the late 80s and early 90s.
Ahlee, a corporate recruiter in San Francisco who earned a degree in economics at Davis, and Jalen have always been extremely tight. Ahlee's wife Tiffany died from breast cancer after being diagnosed with seven months into her pregnancy with Jalen, who is an only child.
Jalen Lewis after hitting game-winning shot against Campolindo at the MaxPreps MLK Classic in 2020.
File photo by Greg Jungferman
"It's just been him and I my whole life," Jalen Lewis told MaxPreps for a
Father's Day feature we ran in 2020. "He's made a ton of sacrifices. I'm not sure where I'd be without him."
Ahlee, who stands 6-6, put a ball in his son's arms at the age of 3. "I haven't put it down since," Jalen said. Projected to be 6-11, Jalen played against much older kids in the Oakland Rebels' AAU program. By the third grade he played center and by the sixth grade he was 6-1 and playing in national tournaments.
As a freshman at O'Dowd, he was a 6-8 post with guard skills and earned second-team All-Bay Area by averaging 10 points and 5.8 rebounds during a 23-7 season that ended by COVID-19, two wins of a state Open Division championship.
He averaged just short of 15 points and 10 rebounds while playing nine of 13 games of a delayed and shortened sophomore spring season. The COVID-19-marred campaign certainly didn't encourage Lewis to continue his prep career.
"It was hard to play basketball," Richie said. "It was hard to get in a gym, get better or have fun."
He'll have every opportunity to get better in the professional ranks. Competition will be first rate.
"Jalen always had a dream and now that dream has presented itself," Richie said. "He's taking advantage of that. He came into our program as a 14-year-old who took the basketball world by storm. Now he's 16 and every kid who is 10- or 11-years-old wants to follow in his path.
"He's the whole package. He's 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds and wears size 17 sneakers. He's got a great head on his shoulders, has all the basketball skills in the world and a loving father who is behind him every step of the way."
OTE executive vice president Brandon Williams said in a release that Lewis is a foundational piece for the new league.
"Jalen is one of the most exciting young talents in the country, and we are humbled that he has chosen Overtime Elite to elevate his professional development on the court and academically, while building his brand internationally," he said. "This is a foundational signing for our league and another acknowledgment of the need and desire for our program."
Jalen Lewis (left) and coach Lou Richie take their first and last photo together as part of the Bishop O'Dowd basketball program.
Photo courtesy of Lou Richie
