Former Dunbar, Northeastern basketball standout dies at 52

Former Dunbar and Northeastern basketball standout Derrick Lewis died April 4 in Wichita, Kan., at the age of 52.

A viewing will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Vaughn C. Greene Funeral Services at 4905 York Road. Funeral services will be held from 10:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, at Spread the Word Cathedral, which is located at 4100 Frankford Ave.

Lewis was a 1984 Dunbar graduate who played two seasons with the Poets before earning a scholarship to play at South Carolina. After his freshman year, he transferred to Northeastern, where he was reunited with late Dunbar teammate Reggie Lewis, no relation. Derrick Lewis played three years at Northeastern and averaged 16 points per game, including 19.1 in his senior season.

At Dunbar, he was part of arguably the best area team ever when the Poets went 31-0 in the 1982-83 season, winning their first national championship. Coming off the bench that season for coach Bob Wade, he played alongside future NBA players Muggsy Bogues, Reggie Williams and Reggie Lewis.

“He’ll be sorely missed,” Wade said. “Derrick was an outstanding studentathlete. He was very quiet, mild mannered [and] worked extremely hard on his game. He did a fantastic job of honing his skills to earn a college scholarship. He was just a great kid and it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to coach him.”

Lake Clifton boys basketball coach Herman “Tree” Harried played with Lewis in the Cecil Kirk Amateur Athletic Union program and then at Dunbar, also graduating in 1984 before moving on to Syracuse.

“He was a pretty good shooter, a tall guard that could put the ball on the floor as well,” Harried said. “He was well built and strong, just an all-around tough player. That’s why he fit in so well.”