Pitt Lands Talented Maryland Transfer Point Guard Channise Lewis
5/4/2022 12:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – Pitt women's basketball head coach Lance White continued to build his roster on Wednesday as he announced the signing of Maryland transfer guard Channise Lewis. Lewis is the fourth member of the Panthers' 2022 signing class.
Lewis comes to Pitt with two years of eligibility remaining after making four NCAA Tournament appearances as a member of the Maryland Terrapins. She missed all of the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns due to injury while also just playing in only nine games during the 2020-21 campaign before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
"I'm ecstatic that Channise is joining our family," said head coach Lance White. "I've known and watched Channise for a long time and I am so happy to get the opportunity to coach her."
A former four-star recruit and No. 55 overall prospect in the 2017 signing class, Lewis battled through injuries most of her five-year career at Maryland as she appeared in 77 career games while earning 45 starts at point guard for the Terrapins. She posted career averages of 25.4 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 39% from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. Her career assist to turnover ratio is 2.7 which ranks among the best in the nation among returning players for the 2022-23 season.
The floor general had a strong sophomore campaign in 2018-19 as she appeared in all 34 games while making 13 starts at point guard for the Terrapins as they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. She wrapped up her year averaging 4.2 points, a career-high 5.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 38.4% from the floor. Posted her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 assists in a win at #10 South Carolina while adding 11 assists in the B1G Championship game against nationally ranked Iowa. She notched five or more assists in 19 games including in all five postseason games for the nationally ranked Terrapins.
Lewis burst onto the scene as a freshman for Maryland as she appeared in all 34 games while earning 32 starts at point guard as the Terrapins advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She wrapped up her first campaign averaging 26.6 minutes, 5.4 points, a team-high 4.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 37.5% from the floor and 39.5% from behind the arc (32-for-81). One of the best freshman point guards in the country, Lewis ranked second among freshman during the 2017-18 season in assists per game while also earning a spot on the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list (nation's top point guard).
"She is a true point guard that has the ability to make everyone around her better," explained White. "She has been a winner at every level she's played. She is poised under pressure and will do whatever it takes for her team to win."
In high school, Lewis led Miami Country Day to two Dicks' National Championship titles during her successful four-year career while also being named Most Outstanding Player during the championship run in her senior campaign. She finished off her senior season averaging 13.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals while leading her team to their fourth straight state title. She capped her high school career earning FABC All-State honors three times while earning All-USA Florida Girls Team honors and All-Dade County First Team honors in all four seasons.
Lewis joins Gabby Hutcherson, Avery Strickland and local standout Aislin Malcolm as the first four members of the Panthers' highly anticipated 2022 signing class. They will join a talented roster that returns seven of their eight leading scorers from a season ago.
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Lewis comes to Pitt with two years of eligibility remaining after making four NCAA Tournament appearances as a member of the Maryland Terrapins. She missed all of the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns due to injury while also just playing in only nine games during the 2020-21 campaign before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
"I'm ecstatic that Channise is joining our family," said head coach Lance White. "I've known and watched Channise for a long time and I am so happy to get the opportunity to coach her."
A former four-star recruit and No. 55 overall prospect in the 2017 signing class, Lewis battled through injuries most of her five-year career at Maryland as she appeared in 77 career games while earning 45 starts at point guard for the Terrapins. She posted career averages of 25.4 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 39% from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. Her career assist to turnover ratio is 2.7 which ranks among the best in the nation among returning players for the 2022-23 season.
The floor general had a strong sophomore campaign in 2018-19 as she appeared in all 34 games while making 13 starts at point guard for the Terrapins as they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. She wrapped up her year averaging 4.2 points, a career-high 5.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 38.4% from the floor. Posted her first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 12 assists in a win at #10 South Carolina while adding 11 assists in the B1G Championship game against nationally ranked Iowa. She notched five or more assists in 19 games including in all five postseason games for the nationally ranked Terrapins.
Lewis burst onto the scene as a freshman for Maryland as she appeared in all 34 games while earning 32 starts at point guard as the Terrapins advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She wrapped up her first campaign averaging 26.6 minutes, 5.4 points, a team-high 4.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds while shooting 37.5% from the floor and 39.5% from behind the arc (32-for-81). One of the best freshman point guards in the country, Lewis ranked second among freshman during the 2017-18 season in assists per game while also earning a spot on the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list (nation's top point guard).
"She is a true point guard that has the ability to make everyone around her better," explained White. "She has been a winner at every level she's played. She is poised under pressure and will do whatever it takes for her team to win."
In high school, Lewis led Miami Country Day to two Dicks' National Championship titles during her successful four-year career while also being named Most Outstanding Player during the championship run in her senior campaign. She finished off her senior season averaging 13.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals while leading her team to their fourth straight state title. She capped her high school career earning FABC All-State honors three times while earning All-USA Florida Girls Team honors and All-Dade County First Team honors in all four seasons.
Lewis joins Gabby Hutcherson, Avery Strickland and local standout Aislin Malcolm as the first four members of the Panthers' highly anticipated 2022 signing class. They will join a talented roster that returns seven of their eight leading scorers from a season ago.
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