By Sam Draut–
Damion Lee and Trey Lewis came to U of L to play in the NCAA tournament. After playing four years of college basketball and never reaching the postseason tournament, the two decided to transfer to Louisville for their fifth year in hopes of playing in the tournament they had dreamed about since they were children.
But, with U of L’s announcement today of a self-imposed postseason ban for the 2015-16 season, Lee and Lewis are once again left out of the NCAA tournament, and this time, their final opportunity is gone. Lewis and Lee’s journey started when they both arrived at Louisville in May, and Lewis said no matter what happened, “we were in this together.”
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino spoke with Lee and Lewis earlier this morning before informing the rest of the team about the postseason ban. Lewis said he was shocked to hear the penalty. With every teammate standing behind them as they addressed the media, Lee and Lewis shared their disappointment.
“We were both hurt and devastated when we heard this because we feel like we don’t deserve this,” Lewis said. “This team doesn’t deserve this, we worked very hard, we put ourselves in a position to fulfill our dreams.”
Pitino said the final four home games are all the Cardinals two leading scorers have left in their collegiate careers.
“I call for our fans to come out in full force to honor Damion and Trey,” Pitino said.
Lee, a 6-foot-6 transfer from Drexel, and Lewis, a transfer from Cleveland State blended well with Louisville’s young roster and led what Pitino described as a “magical group.”
Despite having their ultimate goal taken away, Lee and Lewis both want to continue to lead the Cardinals in their final nine games. With a collection of underclassmen and individual pursuits of professional careers, the seniors want to end the season on the right note.
“We still have nine games left, the season doesn’t end today,” Lee said. “It’s for our future.”
