RICHMOND, Ky. – Former Colonel Marcus Lewis was drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters on Tuesday. Lewis capped his EKU career by winning the 2014 Denny’s College Slam Dunk Championship in April.
The Globetrotters drafted six athletes in their eighth annual player drafter. While Lewis was the first player chosen, other draftees included Landon Donovan, Johnny Manziel and Sim Bhullar. Donovan is one of the most highly-decorated soccer players in U.S. history. Manziel, the former quarterback at Texas A&M, has now been drafted by the NFL, Major League Baseball and the Harlem Globetrotters. The 7-foot-5 Bhullar won two conference tournament MVP awards while playing at New Mexico State.
Lewis, a 6-foot-4 guard, will have the opportunity to attend a mini-camp/tryout in August where he can earn an invitation to the team’s training camp in late September. The Globetrotters’ domestic tour begins Dec. 26 and runs through April.
The Streamwood, Illinois native left Colonel fans in awe with his spectacular dunks during his two seasons in maroon and white. Lewis earned a spot in the Slam Dunk Championship by winning the 2014 “State Farm Dark Horse Dunker” Facebook competition, a 16-player bracket-style elimination competition. His alley-oop dunk during the 2012-13 season at Southeast Missouri climbed to No. 3 on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top-10 Plays, was a finalist for GEICO Play of the Year and advanced to the finals of the HoopsManefesto.com Dunk of the Year Tournament.
Lewis averaged 9.8 points and 1.6 steals per game his senior season. He shot 51 percent from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc. He earned a degree in general studies/health sciences in May.
The Globetrotters’ one-of-a-kind show is unrivaled in the world of family entertainment, showcasing some of the finest athletes on the planet and some of the greatest basketball ever seen. The Globetrotters represent 88 years of breaking down barriers, acts of goodwill, and a commitment to fans that goes beyond the game. The team searches the four corners of the world to find superb athletes with a flair for entertainment who are also able spread joy and goodwill outside of the athletic arena, via the Globetrotters’ numerous ambassadorial efforts.
EKU nearly upset No. 2 seed Kansas in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, leading the Jayhawks with 8:55 left in the game and trailing by only three with 3:39 to go. Eastern finished the season with a 24-10 record, the second most wins in program history.