The Gators are one of the smallest teams in the Southeastern Conference.
But forward Kayla Lewis helps make up for the height discrepancy by grabbing nearly any rebound she can get her hands on.
The 6-foot redshirt junior has accounted for nearly a quarter of her team’s total rebounds this season — averaging a not-so-paltry 8.5 boards per contest — all the while averaging double-figures in scoring.
Lewis has shown considerable growth from last season, during which she averaged 5.5 rebounds and 7.2 points per game.
She led or tied for the team lead in rebounding 11 times last year, including NIT play. This season, Lewis has led or tied for the team lead in rebounding 12 times, and it is only halfway through the conference schedule.
“Kayla’s always known what she’s capable of being as a rebounder, and I think she’s realizing it and making it happen,” coach Amanda Butler said. “She loves the fact that she’s smaller than most of the people she’s going up against. That’s part of what fuels her, but I think the ultimate fuel for her is accepting and pursuing the fact that she can rebound in a different way than anyone else on our team can. She’s got to do that for us to be effective, especially against these folks who are giving up inches — a lot of time in every position.
“She’s a little bit of a flyweight, too. It’s not just inches she’s giving up.”
Lewis’ play on the court has improved dramatically, no question. But the role she has taken off the court has also increased from years past and has become pivotal to the team’s morale.
“I just see a different demeanor, especially in Kayla,” senior Jaterra Bonds said. “I’ve never seen her act and do some of the things she’s done in my four years here. I’m proud of her. She’s putting in extra work, inviting people to go shoot. It’s just a new version of Kayla that I’m loving right now.”
This season, Florida is 3-1 when Lewis leads the team in scoring. When she leads or ties for the team lead in rebounding, the Gators are 9-3.
In other words, when Lewis is on her game, so is the rest of her team. However, that may hinge more on her role in the locker room than her role on the floor.
“Kayla Lewis is the one who leads our prayer in the locker room before we come out,” Butler said. “Part of her prayer involved us enjoying what we’re doing and remembering that this is fun and this is a blessing. It was a different way of perceiving competition because it gets so heated. Every game, every possession just matters so much and it is easy to get caught up in the negative side of your emotions sometimes.”
Butler and her team were noticeably more jocular on the sidelines against Auburn this past Sunday than in games prior, and the pre-game prayer was most likely a significant contributor to that. Florida broke out if its three-game slump that afternoon and had one of its best offensive performances of the season.
“We wanted to stay composed,” Butler said. “I think when you stay composed, you stay relaxed. It’s an effective way to handle the adversity that we know is going to come, regardless of who we’re playing.”
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Kayla Lewis drives toward the net during Florida’s win against Georgia on Jan. 19 in the O’Connell Center.
