She Shoots, She Scores—a Scholarship.

The University of Pittsburgh almost didn’t make the cut for Brittany Lewis, an 18-year-old senior and power forward on ’s girl’s varsity basketball team.

“I actually originally didn’t want to go to Pittsburgh,” said Lewis. “This is going to sound weird, but I was looking on the website and I didn’t like how it was set up.”

But Lewis said she changed her mind after visiting the campus with her mother in August—just in case. Sure enough, Lewis saw a side of the campus not conveyed through the pixels on her computer screen.

It was love and first sight, and the University of Pittsburgh shot to the top of Lewis’ wish list of schools. She applied for a full academic scholarship, and in October, received a letter saying she’d been accepted – with a full ride.

To say Lewis is excited would be an understatement.

“I’m just trying to get through senior year,” she said.

Lewis has been playing basketball since she was in 2^nd grade. She started with the encouragement of her father, who played himself and wanted her to be more active.

“When I was young I was not athletic at all. I had a lot of baby fat, I guess you could say,” she said with a laugh. But she grew to love the sport and the friends that came with it, and ten years later, she’s still playing. 

As one of the tallest girls in her school, Lewis started out her hoops career as a center, but switched to power forward around 8^th grade when everyone else “shot up.”

Eileen Egan, the women's athletic director at Bishop Ford, said Lewis stands out for her diligence and hard work.

"She’s always at practice, and she’s always a leader to the younger players." Egan said. "She’s a great athlete and a great kid."

While she’ll continue to play ball at the University of Pittsburgh, Lewis said she doesn’t plan to go out for the varsity team – she’ll stick with club or intramural leagues, and focus her energy instead on her chosen major, pharmacy.  

“I like to watch the game, but I wouldn’t say basketball is a part of my life in the sense that it’s everything I am,” she said. “I don’t use it to define me.”

Vital Stats:

Name: Brittany Lewis

Age: 18

Year: Senior

Hometown: Valley Stream, Long Island

Sport: Basketball

Position: Power Forward

Favorite Music: Nickelback, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts. “I like to listen to my music in my room and dance around. When nobody’s watching, of course.”

Role Model: “My mom. I use the things she taught me in everything, from basketball to school to my social life.”