Karisma Lewis, Buena High’s champion basketball player thrives on and off the court. Lewis, the upcoming star of the future, shines throughout any arena against any player.
As Lewis navigates the 2023-24 school year she’s been contacted and scouted by multiple Division One Universities including UCSB, Arizona State University and Gonzaga University who are astonished by her flair and commitment to basketball. Throughout her sophomore year at Buena she has accomplished winning Channel League, has been awarded Most Valuable Player, and has been invited to U.S state tryouts.
Lewis has played basketball since elementary school and pinpoints the 5th grade as when she knew her heart belonged to basketball and dreamed of pursuing it. Lewis’s middle school coach Trevor Payan has been by her side throughout the journey of her basketball career.
“I’ve known Karisma since she was in middle school and to see her transformation from middle school to sophomore year has been amazing,” Payan said.
Lewis incorporates basketball practice almost every day doing up to three hours of workouts such as lifting and shooting. Even on the days of team practice she still does this routine going all while maintaining high marks in school.
Senior Lilly Marquez is a teammate of Lewis from the Buena’s girls basketball team. Marquez credits Lewis with helping her come out of her shell while on the team.
“She’s energetic, enthusiastic, and caring,” Marquez said. “She can always put a smile on someone’s face.”
As Lewis’ career with basketball takes off her mom and brother have been by her side supporting her with any obstacles that come her way and they are the people who motivate her to do her best.
“My older brother has special needs so being able to have enough money to provide for him when he is older is one reason [for my drive]. Another reason is my mom sacrifices a lot for us,” Lewis said.
You might recognize Karisma’s mother Melissa Lewis from Student Services in the Buena Front Office. Melissa is thankful Karisma is so motivated and has such stellar coaches that she mainly gets to play the role of a supportive parent.
“If we are in a crowded gym she can look for me and feels supported. No matter what kind of games she’s having, she knows I’m there and I love to just watch her play,” Melissa said.
Melissa thinks Karisma’s greatest strength as an athlete is her “rational confidence” which means you can throw her into any situation and she’s not going to back down. She always tries her best, whether it’s a pickup game at LA Fitness or a tournament in North Carolina.
Lewis’ teammate senior Olivia Decierdo has been beside Lewis since their elementary days and has seen Lewis’ growth throughout the years.
“She’s very fun to play with and she gets the team moving,” DeCierdo said. “She helped us reach California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) twice and she helps the team a lot.”
Lewis brings a keen sense of energy into the team. In any game Lewis is able to be relied on to score a point and bring the team to success. Senior Skye Thomas plays basketball for Buena High.
“She has a very dominant role in the team,” Thomas said. “Her offenses are really good and she always does a good job.”
For the future Lewis plans on pursuing her career in basketball full time. Being able to work on a job that she truly loves, Lewis is thrilled for the next upcoming years.
“Her passion for the score is infectious because it’s made everyone else in our program want to work that hard,” Coach Payan said.
