Add another bend in Larry Lewis Jr.’s winding road through college basketball.
The Hawaii basketball guard is leaving the program, according to team sources, becoming the second scholarship player this spring to depart the Rainbow Warriors early. Reserve point guard Matt Owies announced his intention to leave last week.
Lewis, a 6-foot-3 junior who averaged 1.8 points and 6.5 minutes in 21 games off the bench, couldn’t be reached for comment. UH coach Eran Ganot declined comment.
He scored a season-high 10 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 27 and saw his most action — 22 minutes with seven points — the next game against Seton Hall in the Pearl Harbor Invitational. But his appearances dwindled from there.
His departure frees up a fourth scholarship for Ganot to award during the spring signing period, which began Wednesday. Junior walk-ons Brian Garrett and Darryl Matthews, who combined for 14 appearances and eight total points, are also leaving the program.
Lewis, who arrived at Manoa out of Odessa (Texas) College, was expected to contend for a starting position in the fall but never found his comfort zone within the ’Bows’ system. His biggest strength in practices was his ability to drive to the hoop and finish, but struggled to do so in games and shot 34.4 percent on the season.
Prior to Odessa, the Milwaukee, Wisc., native finished high school and prep school in Phoenix. He gave a verbal commitment to USC along the way but headed to Texas-San Antonio instead after shoring up some test scores. After two seasons there (including a redshirt year), he went the junior college route and chose UH last summer.
Lewis was absent for the final two games of the season, both losses to Long Beach State, because of a death in the family.