Sophomore Kayla Lewis can do special things when she is on the floor.
But injuries have significantly reduced her playing time throughout her career.
Multiple leg injuries limited Lewis to 16 games as a freshman, and a stress fracture in her hip suffered on Nov. 17 against Florida State forced her to redshirt last season.
Now fully healthy, Lewis is back producing for UF.
Through three games, Lewis is averaging 11 points and a team-leading 8.7 rebounds per game. She notched her first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds against Georgia State on Nov. 11.
Tonight, she will play in her fourth game — more than she played all last season — as Florida (2-1) faces North Florida (0-3) at 7 p.m. in the O’Connell Center.
“Kayla is just a tough matchup because she has a unique skill set with incredible athleticism,” coach Amanda Butler said.
Lewis was one of the few bright spots in Florida’s lopsided 98-67 loss to Florida State on Thursday in Tallahassee. She scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds in 24 minutes. She was also disruptive on the defensive end.
Butler said Lewis’ presence is just as important as her numbers. Lewis has the leadership qualities Butler is looking for on an inexperienced team.
“The rebounding part of what [Lewis] brings … is the thing that we really are going to have to count on her for,” Butler said. “She’s got to bring those sort of numbers for us and really bring a sort of presence every single time she is on the floor.”
Lewis has proven difficult to defend after developing a more diverse offensive game during the summer. In UF’s season-opening win against Fairfield, Lewis utilized down screens to make 2 of 3 attempts from behind the arc. Against Florida State, she used her athleticism to get to the basket.
On a team searching for consistent scorers to complement senior Jennifer George, a healthy Lewis is an ideal fit.
“[Lewis] can rebound, she can block shots, and she can shoot,” junior Jaterra Bonds said. “That gives her an edge on the court.”
Guard Kayla Lewis (left) drives to the basket against Fairfield’s Brittany MacFarlane in Florida’s 71-49 win on Nov. 9 in the O’Connell Center.
