FAIRFAX, Va. - Former George Mason women's basketball head coach Jim Lewis has been named the new assistant coach for the Patriots, assistant vice president/director of athletics Tom O'Connor and head women's basketball coach Jeri Porter announced Tuesday. Lewis brings more than 40 years of coaching experience back to Fairfax, having coached at every level of basketball in his career.

"I am extremely excited to welcome Jim Lewis back to George Mason University," commented Porter. "Jim offers a great deal of experience on every level of our game and brings obvious connections to the metropolitan area, and beyond, that will prove to be invaluable to our recruiting efforts. His contributions, along with that of our existing staff, will enable us to take one more step toward our goal of competing for CAA titles."

Lewis returns to Mason following a one-year stint as an assistant coach for the Georgia Tech women's basketball program, where he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 24-11 overall mark and a second round NCAA matchup against Ohio State. Before joining the Yellow Jackets, Lewis spent two years with the Indiana Fever as an assistant coach and director of scouting. During his third stint working in the WNBA, Lewis helped the Fever win its first-ever Eastern Conference Championship and reach the 2009 WNBA Finals before falling to the eventual champion Phoenix Mercury.     

Lewis led the Patriots for 14 seasons (1984-1997) and remains the winningest coach in women's basketball program history having compiled an overall record of 201-177 at George Mason. He led the Green and Gold to eight winning seasons, including an appearance in the 1997 Preseason WNIT and helped lead Mason through its inaugural season competing in the Colonial Athletic Association in 1985. While with the Patriots, Lewis helped USA Basketball to four medals while assisting on coaching staffs at the 1994 Jones Cup (gold), 1995 World University Games (silver), 1997 Junior World Championships (gold) and 1997 USA International Invitational (gold).

Lewis left the Patriots to become the first head coach of the WNBA Washington Mystics, a role he served for two seasons in 1997 and 1998. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach with men's programs at Tennessee State, Gannon College, Duke and Tulane before coaching the boy's team at South Lakes High School for three seasons. Lewis also served as the head women's coach at Fordham University for six seasons where he led two players to Atlantic 10 Most Improved Player Awards in 2003 and 2004 and four players to All-Conference recognition.

Following his retirement from Fordham, Lewis spent part of the 2006 summer as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Lynx before accepting a position at T.C. Williams High School in his hometown of Alexandria, Va. Including his time at Fordham and George Mason, Lewis has recorded a 257-295 record in 20 years as a collegiate head coach.

"Through his involvement with USA Basketball and his time spent as both a head coach and an assistant in the WNBA, Jim has worked with some of the best post players in the game," Porter said. "His expertise in the area of player development will be instrumental in helping our young, talented post players learn to compete at the high level that the CAA demands."

Before his coaching career, Lewis was a four-year letterwinner at West Virginia University, competing in two NCAA Tournaments and one NIT, and earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. A standout student-athlete, Lewis was awarded the William Randolph Hearst award for journalistic achievement as an undergrad. His 1964-65 freshman class was honored at West Virginia for breaking the color barrier at the University.

After graduating in 1968, he began his graduate work at University of Detroit and went on to earn his master's degree in physical education at Tennessee State. Lewis is married to the former Karen Lane and the couple has two children, Jennifer and Christopher, who both reside in northern Virginia. Jennifer, a graduate of Columbia University, is a physical therapist and Christopher, who graduated from Harvard University and was a two-year letterwinner on the men's basketball team, is a political consultant. 

THE LEWIS FILE

1969-70                       Assistant Men's Coach, Tennessee State University

1970-71                       Assistant Men's Coach, Gannon College

1971-76                       Assistant Men's Coach, Duke

1976-81                       Assistant Men's Coach, Tulane University

1981-84                       Head Boy's Coach, South Lakes High School

1984-1997                   Head Women's Basketball Coach, George Mason University

1997-98                       Head Coach, Washington Mystics

2001-06                       Head Women's Basketball Coach, Fordham University

2006                            Assistant Coach, Minnesota Lynx

2007-08                       Head Girls' Coach, T.C. Williams High School

2008-10                       Assistant Coach/Director of Scouting, Indiana Fever

2010-11                       Assistant Women's Basketball Coach, Georgia Tech

Birthdate: December 15, 1946
Education: B.S., Journalism, West Virginia University (1968)                  
                   M.S., Physical Education, Tennessee State (1970)
Playing Career: West Virginia University, 1964-68
Family: Wife, Karen, daughter, Jennifer, and son, Christopher