Playing college basketball can be a far-off dream for some high school athletes, but with an abundance of talent and a strong support system, Alabama point guard Jordan Lewis was up to the challenge. 

Lewis’ family traveled often when she was younger; it wasn’t until they settled down in Florida that she really started to focus on basketball. While Lewis had never dreamed of playing basketball in college, she remembered that her high school coach saw her potential and often encouraged her to take the sport more seriously. 

“From then on, I played in AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] on the Nike circuit and also for my school,” Lewis said. “I think just through hard work, it turned out good for me in the end.” 

What was previously an afterthought quickly became something she loved and wanted to continue in college. Coming from a big city like Orlando, Lewis knew she wanted to attend a big SEC school. She loved the competition the SEC had, but she also wanted her school to do more than improve her basketball skills.

“Alabama had such a family environment,” Lewis said. “Coach [Kristy] Curry and her staff that were here believed in me from the first day I was here. I thought it was important to be a part of something where somebody believes in you.”

As a freshman point guard, Lewis played and started in all 36 games and ranked fifth in the SEC with 4.3 assists per game. She continued to improve during her sophomore year, recording twice as many assists as any of her teammates and leading the team with 33 minutes per game. 

A wrist injury during her junior season was a setback, but after being granted a medical redshirt, she has returned to lead the team with a career-high 13.6 points per game. On Tuesday night at Tennessee, she scored 17 points to surpass the 1,000-point mark for her career, the 29th player in program history to reach that milestone. She also currently ranks ninth in team history in career assists and assists per game. 

“[Playing in the SEC] brings out the best in the team as a competitor,” Curry said. “I think that you have to understand as a coach and as a player, what better league [is there] than the SEC to compete in? Because you compete against the highest levels against the best coaches and the best players in the country.”

Off the court, Lewis was named the 2017 SEC Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press and received the 2019 Unsung Hero Award from the University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

When Lewis looks back on her career, from high school to the AAU to becoming one of the SEC’s most experienced point guards, she said she’s grateful to be one of the few to get the opportunities she’s gotten.

“Not everyone gets to do what we do,” Lewis said. “This is a very tough thing to do. People are more worried about ‘Oh, anybody could do it,’ but really not everybody gets the chance at this opportunity. I try to play hard because you never know when it’s over and when it’s done. I think it is important to take advantage of the opportunity.”