YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – He knew he had talent. But aside from scoring a lot of points, Vance Lewis said it took some time before he realized what he needed to put a complete game together.

“I wasn’t a good team player. I was selfish at times,” said Lewis, a senior guard for Nile C. Kinnick’s boys basketball team. “I was hard-headed. I didn’t listen to what (coach Robert Stovall) said.”

In his junior year, one game might find him in the lineup, another might find him on the bench. The Red Devils finished with a so-so 12-8 overall record and a fifth-place finish among six teams in the 2023 Far East Division I Tournament on Okinawa.

What turned things around for his just-completed senior season, Lewis said, was something Stovall told him during the early stages of Kinnick’s practices in November.

“He said to look at what I could improve to be a better team player. Be more vocal on the court. Be a better leader,” Lewis said.

From then on, Lewis could still be found atop the scoring leaderboard for his team, but he also did his best to get his teammates involved.

Kinnick improved to 24-4 overall, overcoming a couple of heartbreaking losses along the way to capture its first Far East D-I tournament title in six years.

“We got better as a team,” Lewis said. “We became a much better team than we were last year.”

As a result, Lewis earned Far East D-I tournament Most Valuable Player honors and has been named Stars and Stripes Pacific’s boys basketball Athlete of the Year.

There were a few hiccups along the way toward team and individual honors. For example, the Red Devils’ 40-38 loss to St. Mary’s Jan. 20 in the finals of the American School In Japan Kanto Classic.

Kinnick led 37-31 and the Titans outscored the Red Devils 9-1 the rest of the way. But it was more than a technical foul that led to four free throws and reversed the momentum of the contest, Lewis said.

“We started slacking off on offensive and defensive rebounds and that let St. Mary’s come back,” Lewis said.

Losing the opener of the Far East D-I tournament 64-62 to host Kadena nine days later could have been a season-killer. Instead, the Red Devils went unbeaten the rest of the way and Lewis said it was that game that helped Kinnick realize it had what it took to win.

“That we lost that first game boosted our motivation and brought us together as a team more,” Lewis said. “We had to keep our heads up in any situation. You don’t know what’s going to happen.”

In the D-I final, Kennedy Hamilton’s bank shot with two seconds left proved to be the game- and title-winning shot as the Red Devils outlasted Kadena 83-82.

“I’m proud of the team more than I’m proud of myself,” Lewis said.

The Lewis file

Vance Lewis

Age — 18.

Place of birth — Yokohama, Japan.

Favorite school subject — Language Arts.

Least favorite school subject — Math.

Favorite athlete — Kobe Bryant.

Favorite music — Hip hop.

Favorite entertainer — Li’l TJay.