File photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Brooklyn Lewis dribbles to the baseline during a nonconference girls basketball game on Feb. 3 against Mound Westonka at New Ulm High School.

NEW ULM — Brooklyn Lewis, who will be a junior this year at New Ulm High School, has committed to play college basketball at DII Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU).

Lewis, who enters her junior year with the Eagles with 946 career points, said MSU was her choice because it was a program and school where she felt she belonged with.

“I have a great connection with the coaches and they have always been there for me,” she said. “They have gone to many of my games. I feel like their style of play is what best fits how I play. And I like the community overall and they have a winning mentality — I just love that about them. The early commitment was because I knew I would end up there anyway and I know that is the place where I will have the best success.”

Lewis said there were other colleges interested like Moorhead, Michigan Tech and the University of Minnesota Duluth, along with some other Summit League colleges.

Lewis said that former New Ulm High School and MSU player Joey Batt, who helped the Mavericks win the DII National Championship last season, had an influence in her decision.

“Joey talked about her experience at Minnesota State and that kind of inspired me,” Lewis said. “She had so much success there. She said it was a great fit for her and I feel it will be a great fit for me.”

Lewis said that with two seasons of high school basketball yet to go, she wants to work on anything and everything.

“I want to get better as a player — always getting that one step better each day — but the one thing I am going to work on more this year is being the best and most supportive teammate I can be,” she said. “And being mentally tough.”

Lewis had to use some of that mental toughness last season when she broke her hand and missed a large part of her sophomore season. That saw her become almost another coach on the floor.

“My whole perspective of the game of basketball changed,” she said of the injury. “It sucked missing and not being able to play a game that you love so much. So, every time I went on the floor I thought, ‘OK, this could be my last time so you have to always play 100% and never get down on yourself.”

Lewis’ basketball head coach Julie Rogers said that Lewis is a special player.

“What a great athlete Mankato is getting,” Rogers said. “They are lucky to have her. She has been playing varsity basketball since she was in eighth grade, so this year will be her fourth season. She is really coming into her own as a leader.

“You can hear her verbally on the court and she leads by example. She is a kid who stays after practice and shoots 50 to 100 extra shots on a regular basis.”

Rogers added that this past summer there were 28 games played with the high school girls.

“And she played additional games because she was also playing with Minnesota Rise,” Rogers said. “And what a lot of coaches saw was that drive and then that stop-and-pop move that she is known for. So if you are trying to stop the outside 3-pointer, which she shoots so well, then she is still quick enough to get around you and gets that shot off inside. She is hard to stop offensively.”

Rogers added that Lewis sees the court very well. “She finds the open person underneath — she can make that thread the needle pass inside to a teammate — and she can direct traffic from her when she is out on the point guard spot,” Rogers said. “She is like our quarterback out there when she is at the point.”

Rogers said she is happy that Lewis has decided to go to Mankato because it will be close enough to where people can go and watch her play.

“But she has two more years of Eagles basketball left and so, for me personally, I am more excited for the next two years. But Mankato has a great person coming. She is very coachable and I am excited for her and her family.”