The Guy V. Lewis Award

Award to Honor Top Houston Area High School Basketball Players

April 1, 2011

Guy V. Lewis Award established by Greater Houston Basketball Committee

Award to be given annually to Houston area boys basketball Player of the Year beginning in 2012

Houston, TX – The newly formed Greater Houston Basketball Committee (GHBC) announced today that beginning in March of 2012, the Guy V. Lewis Award will be given annually to the Boys High School Player of the Year in the Greater Houston area.

The Award, in honor of College Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Guy V. Lewis, who lead the University of Houston program from 1956-1986. Also an alumnus of the University of Houston, Guy V. Lewis lead the Cougars to five Final Fours, won nearly 600 games and was a pioneer for the game. One of Lewis' finest ideas, the 1968 "Game of the Century" pitted his Houston Cougars, with All American Elvin Hayes, against the powerhouse from UCLA, with Lew Alcindor, in the Astrodome in front of a national television audience and a regular season attendance record of more than 52,000 fans. That attendance number still stands as the fourth largest regular season NCAA game, some 43 years after it was played.

"Guy V. Lewis had a keen eye for the local talent in the Houston area and was integral in making Houston the new hotbed for recruiting in the country," said GHBC Chair Mike Pede. "Coach Lewis revolutionized the game and the way it was perceived in the country and he really put the spotlight on Houston. We are honored to have his name on this award that will fittingly go to Houston's top player each year."

Voting for the Guy V. Lewis Award will be comprised in the first year of three voting blocks. The Houston Area Basketball Coaches Association and a panel of local Houston media members will share equal voting weight. And fans will have the opportunity to vote online for their candidates at the Award's website, GuyVLewisAward.org.

A "watch list" of players will be released prior to the start of each high school basketball season, comprised of candidates nominated by the basketball coaches in Houston. That list will be pared to a Finalist group in early February, with the final votes being tallied in early March. The voting will coincide with the Texas high school basketball playoffs. The announcement of the Guy V. Lewis Award will occur the Tuesday prior to the Final Four each year, a fitting spot for the award, considering that only eight coaches ever took their teams to more Final Four's than Lewis.

The newly formed Greater Houston Basketball Committee is a non-profit, 501c3 (pending) organization whose mission is the promotion of the game of basketball at all levels in the greater Houston area. That area is defined by Harris County and every Texas County that is immediately adjacent to Harris County. The Board of Directors of GHBC is comprised of twenty members with an Executive Committee of six members. The website listed above is the official website to find more information about the Greater Houston Basketball Committee. The group will hold an annual event to welcome the five finalists for the Guy V. Lewis Award in March each year with all proceeds from any event going to projects that will put the spotlight on the game of basketball in Houston.

"We are very excited to have the cooperation and input from the Houston Area Basketball Coaches Association and the local media give our award the credibility it needs," Pede added. "The GHBC feels like the best high school basketball in the country is played right here in the Houston area and we need to let the nation know about it. And by honoring Coach Lewis every time we give it out, we feel like we are carrying on the tradition of recognizing great Houston talent like he did when he was coaching."

Inquiries and information for GHBC can be directed to info@guyvlewisaward.org