Larry Lewis, who spent the last three years as the Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach with the Sacramento Kings, has been named Assistant Coach at UC Santa Barbara, head coach Joe Pasternack announced Friday. Lewis replaces Louis Reynaud who recently retired from coaching and accepted an administrative position at UCSB
“We are very excited to add Larry Lewis to our coaching staff,” Pasternack said. “He brings with him a wealth of coaching, player development and playing experience and those experiences will greatly benefit our student-athletes.”
Lewis arrives in Santa Barbara after spending three years as a member of the Kings’ staff. Prior to his three years on Sacramento’s bench he spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, also as Director of Player Development/Assistant Coach. Before his elevation to the Lakers, he served two seasons as an assistant coach for the L.A. D-Fenders of the G-League. In his first year as a coach, after a long international playing career, Lewis helped the franchise post the best regular season record in G-League history (38-12) and earn eight NBA call-ups. Named an assistant on the G-League Select Team in 2012, he played a central role in the D-Fenders capturing the Development Champion Award, bestowed on the team that best embodies the G-League’s goals of developing talent via call-ups and player assignments.
“This is a great opportunity for my family and me,” Lewis said. “This is a program rich in tradition and Joe (Pasternack) has it moving in an upward direction. It’s going to be special to be a part of it.”
In addition to his experience on the sidelines, Lewis’ lengthy international playing career spanned 19 seasons and four continents, including stops in Argentina (2011), Spain (2001-11), Japan (1996-2000), Cyprus (1996), Great Britain (1993) and the Dominican Republic (1992). He also played one season in the United States Basketball League with Sarasota (1996), in the CBA with the Harrisburg Hammerheads and Rapid City Thrillers (1994-95) and for the silver medal winning Team USA in the Pan American Games (1995).
A Morehouse College alumnus, Lewis turned professional in 1992 when he was drafted by the Albany Patroons of the CBA. He and his wife, Sonia Lewis, have one son, Landon (15), and a daughter, Lauryn (11).
UCSB opened practice on Thursday afternoon in preparation for its regular season opener against Jackson State on Nov. 6. The Gauchos return several key players and add a handful of others to a team that went 22-10 overall and finished second in the Big West Conference regular season standings in 2019.