« Women’s Basketball 2020-21

Antoinette Lewis

School
South Alabama University
Position
Forward
Major
Exercise Science

Classroom

Lewis received her degree from South Alabama in December, graduating with a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average. Lewis was named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List following her freshman year and has made the Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll each of the last two years as well.

Character

Lewis received the program’s annual award at the end of last season, which is presented to the student-athlete on the team who shows trust and toughness, effort and energy, and drive and discipline within academics and athletics.

“Antoinette cares about her teammates, she is really a conscientious young lady,” says head coach Terry Fowler. “She is not afraid to voice her opinion, she has a strong personality, but at the end of the day she is really caring. Those are the reasons why her teammates love her and care about her.”

Community

Lewis has volunteered at numerous events during her time at South, highlighted by multiple visits to St. Mary’s Children’s Home while participating in Cottage Hill Christian Academy’s Reading Day and a presentation at Causey Middle School.

In the last year, Lewis participated in a “Secure the Ballot” voter registration drive as well as the Jags4Justice Unity March while contributing to an educational “Coping With Covid” session. Lewis has taken part in Operation Christmas Child each of the last two years, helped at a Special Olympics event and served food at the Salvation Army, assisted at an event to clean up Mobile and served as a volunteer at the South Optimist Club. Lewis has also helped at the First Light Marathon twice while in school and contributed to South’s Move In Day each of her first three years in the program as well.

Competition

In just three-plus seasons, Lewis ranks among the top five all-time in four statistical categories in USA’s record books with a 53.2 field-goal percentage (second), 1,022 rebounds (third), 209 blocks (third) and 586 field goals (fifth), also standing seventh with 1,462 points; Lewis is among the top 10 in Sun Belt history in blocked shots (eighth) and rebounding (10th) as well. Following a pair of 10-rebound games against Georgia State the final weekend of January, Lewis became just the third individual in program history — Adrian Vickers and Orphie Moore, both member’s of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, are the others — to surpass 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 100 blocked shots in a career.  Lewis currently stands among the top 10 active leaders at the NCAA Division I level in rebounding (third), blocked shots (fifth) and double-doubles (eighth).

Lewis was voted first-team all-Sun Belt Conference as a sophomore, also making the league’s all-tournament team that season after helping the Jaguars advance to the championship game, and was a second-team all-Sun Belt selection a year ago. In addition to receiving the conference’s Player-of-the-Week award on six occasions during her career, Lewis was chosen the preseason Player of the Year and first-team all-SBC before the start of this season.