Lewis And Acker Named To Aswa All-State Team

By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent

Pickens Academy seniors Olivia Lewis and Lee Acker were both named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) All-State Team last week, as both led their respective teams to Final Four appearances. Lewis was named to second-team all-state, while Acker was named to third-team all-state.

Pickens Academy girls head coach Wade Goodman said Lewis played for him in junior high and once he took over the girls varsity team two years ago, he was ecstatic to get to coach her again.

“She’s a good athlete and has always been a good athlete,” Goodman said. “The biggest change she made to me was she got to be a little bit more aggressive on the offensive end. Another big jump she made was being more of a vocal leader and being someone that the girls look up to.”

“It has been the best two years of basketball for me (playing for Goodman), because the teams were very close,” Lewis said. “He really pushed us to be our best on and off the basketball court, whether it was school, life, or whatever you were doing, you had to do it to the best of your ability.”

Lewis was a five-year starter for Pickens Academy and helped guide the Lady Pirates to an AISA Class AA championship in 2017, as she earned the Tournament MVP. While PA came up short to Autauga Academy in the Final Four this year, the senior said she treasured the opportunity to win a championship for her school.

“We practiced so much, sometimes we would be practicing until 9:30 at night on Friday nights,” Lewis said. “We set everything aside and put the team and each other first. We all just put ourselves in the right situation and just worked hard. It all paid off in the end. It’s something I will never forget.”

Pickens Academy boys head coach Jeremy Pate just finished his first year at the helm after spending his first season as an assistant to then-head coach Jacob Acker. Pate said he wasn’t sure how many games Lee Acker started or came off the bench in 2016-17, but said he started all 19 games this season and was an important piece in helping guide the Pirates to an 18-1 record and a trip to the Final Four.

“We couldn’t have done it without our two coaches. That was our main key to success,” Acker said. “They put us in position to win all our games.”

While the Pirates have advanced to two consecutive AISA Class AA Final Fours, Acker said this year’s team was special to him. “Our last group, we were pretty solid,” Acker said.

“Lee is always one of those guys who will come to work and he loves the game,” Pate said. “He knew that for us to be successful, he had to have a bigger presence in the post this year. He took that and went with it and I think it showed.”

Acker will be trying out for the University of West Alabama next month, as he hopes to be able to play basketball at the next level.