November 15, 2013
Houston, TX – “ The Guy V. Lewis Award Committee (GVLAC) in association with the VYPE High School Sports Network (VYPE) announced today that the Guy V. Lewis Award which is awarded annually to the Greater Houston areas Boys High School Player of the Year will be awarded on April 5th, 2013 at the Bayou City Events Center.
The Award is presented in honor of College Basketball Hall of Fame Coach, Guy V. Lewis, who led the University of Houston program from 1956-1986. Also an alumnus of the University of Houston, Guy V. Lewis led 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 44 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 one of the premier hotbeds for recruiting in the country,” said GVLAC Chair Rob Lopez. “Coach Lewis revolutionized the game and the way it was perceived in the country and he really put the spotlight on Houston. We are again 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 of three voting blocks. The Houston Area Basketball Coaches Association will hold a majority weight at 50%, local Houston media members will share 40% weight, and fans will receive the final 10% of the vote weight and 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 monthly with the final votes being tallied in early April. 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 Guy V Lewis Award 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 website listed above is the official website to find more information about the Guy V. Lewis Award Committee. The group will hold an annual event to welcome the ten finalists for the Guy V. Lewis Award in late March/early April of each year with all proceeds from the 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,” Lopez added. “The GVLAC feels like the best high school basketball in the country is played right here in the greater Houston area and we need to continue 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 GVLAC can be directed to info@guyvlewisaward.org