Merquiche Lewis, Jr. had one specific request when picking his next college to continue his studies and basketball career.
The Burlington High School graduate and sophomore at Southeastern Community College needed to find a four-year college which would be willing to let his girlfriend and their daughter move with him.
Problem solved.
Lewis made it official on Saturday, signing to continue playing basketball and pursuing a degree in business with an emphasis on entrepreneurship at Missouri Baptist University, an NAIA school in St. Louis.
If Lewis already wasn’t sold, the final box was checked when the Spartans signed Lewis’ brother Nehemiah, a senior at BHS.
The Spartans are getting the total package, and the Lewis brothers get to play basketball together for two more years.
“Their coach (Taylor Jarvis) is a great guy. He’s done a lot of great things with that program,” Merquiche Lewis said. “He is going to let my girlfriend and our daughter come with me and my brother is coming down, too. Going down there on my visit, the campus is beautiful and the whole coaching staff is great. It’s a great program. I’m excited to get down there and get started.”
Lewis, a 2023 graduate of Burlington High School, recently was named NJCAA Division I honorable mention All-American.
Lewis, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward for the Southeastern Community College men’s basketball team, battled through injuries and a roster decimated by injuries to help the Blackhawks to a 21-11 record.
In 31 games, Lewis averaged 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. He also had 47 assists and 34 steals and blocked nine shots. He connected on 56.4 percent of his shots and 69.7 percent of his free throws.
Lewis, with the help of SCC coaches Lorenzo Watkins, Trent Wolf and Malik Kelly, completely transformed his game from high school to college.
Lewis became one of the premier post-up players in the country.
“Coach Wolf helped me through a lot the last two years,” Lewis said. “A lot of what coach Watkins teaches us is life lessons through basketball. He teaches us how to be young men. He helped my confidence a lot the last two years.”
Lewis will join a Missouri Baptist team which finished 13-17 overall, 9-9 in the American Midwest Conference.
Missouri Baptist will compete in the Heart of America Conference beginning with the 2025-26 school year. Lewis is excited because it will mean less travel for his family to come to watch his games and see his daughter.
“It’s pretty close so they can drive down to see a lot of my games,” Lewis said. “I’m really excited to play with my brother again. Being able to play with my brother again is a dream come true. It’s going to be cool being able to practice and play with him again.”
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