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Long-bombing Lester adds inside game to repertoire
Allison Phillips
Mooresville sophomore Shawn Lester (left) battles for a loose ball against Statesville.
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Published: November 27, 2009
MOORESVILLE - Shawn Lester's jump shot floats through the air, the ball seemingly getting close to the ceiling before it starts to descend.
It only delays the inevitable.
A ridiculously high-arc included, the ball usually splashes through the basket.
It was an image Mooresville opponents saw several times against the Blue Devils last year.
Those images will likely decrease this year. And that's bad news for the opposition.
Lester has spent the last eight months honing his inside game. Now, the 6-foot-3 sophomore will take the ball to the bucket more frequently, which could free up everything on offense.
He'll get more open jump shots when defenses respect his drive, he'll have easier baskets and will get to the free throw line more often.
"All summer long man, that's what we worked on," Blue Devils coach Mike Micklow said at a recent Blue Devils practice. "Even if Shawn is wide open, we tell him to pass up the jump shot and get to the rack. He's really worked hard on his driving ability and his inside post game."
Lester burst onto the Iredell County high school scene last year with a spectacular freshman season.
He scored more than 300 points, while averaging about 15 points per game, and buried 45 3-pointers on the year. He was made the all-conference team and was also voted to the N.C. Coaches Association District 11 all-region second team.
His best game came against Northwest Cabarrus when he destroyed the Trojans defense for 27 points in Mooresville's 63-61 upset victory.
Although he's gotten off to a slow start in the season's first three games, Lester is a key figure to Mooresville's long-term plans.
"I think the sky is the limit for him, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can do," Micklow said. "I think he needs to take a vested interest in this program. What I mean by that is, he can be the leader of this ball club. The guys look up to him. He needs to embrace it."
Although a sophomore, Lester naturally has leadership credibility because of his performance under pressure as a freshman.
Mooresville's roster isn't exactly loaded with seniors either.
Germaine Leach, Jazz Samuel and Jay Willis are the elder statesmen, but the Blue Devils' core group of players are sophomores and juniors.
"We are still young," Lester said. "We don't have too many big players, either, so our main focus is getting up the court. It's fun."
Lester's inside game is helped also by his commitment to the football program over the fall.
Promoted to varsity after catching the eye of coaches, his speed and athleticism made him a real asset at wide receiver. More importantly to his basketball future, though, is that he packed on muscle through the football's team weightlifting program.
"We lifted weights all the time, so I am bigger this year," Lester said. "I just want to help the team make the playoffs again this year. That's our goal. We wanted everybody to play strong and play as a team."
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