Melissa Lewis has been named the head girls basketball coach at Woodmont High School. After spending the first part of her professional career in Georgia,Lewis returns to South Carolina to be closer to family and to take the reins of the Woodmont Girls Basketball program.
Woodmont Athletic Director, Ashley Jenkins, commented, “Someone as successful as Melissa is an amazing hire for our athletic program. Her leadership and innate drive to be the best is contagious.”
Lewis comes to Woodmont with a wealth of experience and success. As a three-sport scholar athlete of Chapman High School and under the tutelage of Hall of Fame Coach, Jane Ashworth, she was honored as an All-State basketball player on a State Championship team.
In 1987, she was recognized as the ‘Spartanburg Herald Journal’s Player of the Year.’ She was also an All-Region player in volleyball and softball as well as a recipient of a full basketball scholarship to Lander University.
After graduating with honors and being named as Lander’s 1991 ‘Female Athlete of the Year’, she accepted a Graduate Assistant position for the women’s basketball team at Columbus State University. While attending Columbus State, she earned her Masters degree in Health & Physical Education and taught as a part-time faculty member.
Lewis first began teaching at Spencer High School. During her seven year stint with Spencer High, she coached basketball, softball, tennis and track. Not only did she teach and coach, but she also began officiating basketball.
Officiating basketball became an instant passion. Learning the ropes, she quickly worked her way up through middle school, high school and within a couple of years, into the college ranks. Because of her college officiating schedule, Lewis moved to Atlanta and taught middle school in Fulton County and then high school in Gwinnett County.
While at Holcombe Bridge Middle School she coached volleyball, basketball and directed the After School Program. In her five years with Shiloh High School, her varsity softball teams were selected as ‘Softball Program of the Year’ for all of Gwinnett County in both 2006 and 2010.
Simultaneously with her teaching and coaching success, Lewis’ officiating career also reached peak levels. In her twelve year tenure as a basketball official, Melissa worked in the SEC, C- USA, MEAC, Southern, OVC & A-Sun, Peachbelt and other conferences.
She was honored to officiate the 2005 Georgia Girls’ AAA State Championship game and the next year was selected to officiate the 2006 College Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship.
When asked about her officiating career and working SEC games with coaches like Coach Pat Summit, Lewis responded, “ It was a privilege to be on the same court with elite officials, athletes and coaches from all over the US.”
