Mikey Lewis’ breakout is right on time for Saint Mary’s

That’s why Mikey Lewis stayed at Saint Mary’s.

The portal promised more minutes. More shots. Guarantees not offered by Gaels coach Randy Bennett, whose track record voids promises.

As Lewis stood at the center court of a stuffed University Credit Union Pavilion on Saturday night, waving his arms, egging on the amped student section, conducting their orchestra of frenzy, he soaked in the reason he stayed. For the chance to put his stamp on Bay Area basketball history, at one of its proud institutions. For games like that. A career-high 31 points, in front of his parents, friends and family, mere miles from his hometown of Oakland, in a thrilling upset over rival Gonzaga.

For the one promise available to him in Moraga — that he would grow as a player as much as his talent and work ethic allowed.

“I felt pretty comfortable in that I was going to grow as a player,” Lewis, a 20-year-old sophomore, said. “I think another thing that went into it was, like, I knew I was going to have some expectations. I want to be able to play with those expectations.”

His display against Gonzaga revealed the fruits of his labor. Lewis provided the spark the Gaels needed with the West Coast Conference trophy at the center of the table. He punished the Bulldogs defense for switches by attacking bigs off the dribble, and for going under screens by drilling seven 3-pointers. Lewis didn’t just provide life for his Gaels; he snatched it from the nation’s ninth-ranked team.

His signature performance was his eighth consecutive double-digit outburst and offered his loudest statement for All-WCC honors.

This was more than a coming-out party for Lewis. This was vindication for his patient work. As a top-100 recruit, he turned down greater NIL money and took a lesser role as a freshman because he trusted that growth would outweigh guarantee.

Not many make that decision. The last time the portal was open, nearly 2,700 players hopped in, a new record. But not Lewis. He chose the road less traveled. The harder path. That meant earning his role as a starter instead of being handed one.

Because of that, Lewis’s place on the team is etched in stone. And now he’s got a performance, a moment, that validated his ambition.

His playmaking has evolved. He’s aware of when teams are trying to take him out of the game. He knows how to pick his spots to attack. He knows what his job is: assassin.

“I think he’s back in his natural role of starting the game,” his father, Mike Lewis Sr., said. “It takes a special kind of player to be effective to come off the bench in limited time and limited touches to affect the game, and I think he did it. In his new role, he has more leadership that he’s been having to exhibit and I think he’s made the transition well. He still has a lot of room to grow, but, you know, he’s used to his role now.”

As the WCC and NCAA tournaments approach, Lewis is playing his best basketball. He is averaging 22.5 points in his last four games, boosting his season-long average to 13.9. And if the No. 2-seeded Gaels are to win the conference tournament, it stands to reason Lewis will need more of those games.

But it’s not just the scoring that’s popping. His overall playmaking has improved.

A year ago, his assist-to-turnover ratio was, as he put it, “upside down” — more turnovers (28) than assists (21). A spark plug off the bench, Lewis’ role was simple: Make shots when open. Play defense. The looks didn’t come as frequently as he operated on the fringes of the Gaels offense. He ranked sixth on the team with 259 field goal attempts last season while averaging 8.2 points.

But mid-major intensity and lots of film drilled home valuable lessons about how to create shots and where he can attack. A point guard all through high school — including for Napa’s Prolific Prep alongside sure-fire high NBA lottery picks A.J. Dybantsa and Tyran Stokes — Lewis had the skill set. He just had to learn how to steer the offense instead of simply igniting it.

Bennett’s offense isn’t built for freelancing. The Gaels move the ball, feed the post and work off the ball. There’s room for isolation and getting downhill off screens. But mastering the when and where requires experience.

And development.

“I wouldn’t say it changed, really,” Lewis said, explaining his mindset this season. “It’s in a more elevated role. But, I mean, I feel like the goal is the same. Just come out and do whatever we need to do to help us win, and just play my game the best I can.”

He finished this regular season second on the team with 343 shots. His 64 assists rank third among the Gaels, thanks to his improved ability to drive and still see the floor.

It wasn’t easy. Lewis hit the gym early. He gets up shots before most have sipped their morning coffee. Then comes individual workouts with his trainer, Elimane Diallo, who has worked closely with Lewis since the seventh grade. He’s seen every iteration of what Lewis has been and has become. Still working closely to fine-tune his game. Team practice follows. After that, it’s weight training. And when most players would retire for the day, he finds his way back to the floor to get more shots up. A bigger role didn’t just mean more opportunity; it meant more work to validate himself.

It’s evident in the way he has attacked this season. He has seven 20-point games this year after only crossing that threshold once last season. It’s also evident in how defenses guard him.

“It’s a lot more physical, a lot more aggressive,” Lewis said of the defense he faces now. “Last year, it was more so like second-half adjustments. I’d definitely say it’s more so from the opening tip now.”

Lewis responded by attacking that aggression. Last season, he took 59.8 percent of his shots from behind the arc. This season, 47 percent. He also tripled his free-throw attempts while raising his percentage from 72.4 last season to 87.6 this season.

The increase in driving stats, though, pales in comparison to his growth in the moments. What he showed against Gonzaga was how it could look when he puts it all together.

As the clock dwindled, the fans inside the University Credit Union weren’t just roaring and celebrating an upset of their rival. They were chanting. Some 3,500 yelled “Mi-key Lew-is!” to punctuate his performance.

And this was a scene that embodied why he stayed at Saint Mary’s. Because nights like that aren’t guaranteed. They’re earned.