Louisville's Lewis: 'We don't deserve this'

All 15 players on the University of Louisville men's basketball team filed into the press conference room at the school's practice facility on Friday evening wearing sad, stunned faces.

Their two leaders, graduate transfers Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, sat down at microphones and tried to make sense of U of L's decision to self-impose a postseason ban in an attempt to lessen the blow of a potentially stiff NCAA penalty for rules violations sometime in the future.

It was no easy task. Both Lee and Lewis made it abundantly clear last spring that they decided to take advantage of the NCAA's fifth-year transfer policy so they could enroll at a school with a successful basketball program that could reach the NCAA tournament.

"We were both hurt and devastated as soon as we heard this," said Lewis, who transferred from Cleveland State.

"We both feel like we don't deserve this. This team doesn't deserve this. We worked very hard and we put ourselves in a position to fulfill our dreams, and that was to play in the NCAA tournament, and we feel like that's been taken away from both of us."

U of L imposing postseason hoops ban

Both Lee and Lewis said they were shocked by the decision, which came as the NCAA or the Commonwealth's Attorney continued investigations into Katina Powell's claims that former U of L hoops staffer Andre McGee paid her and other escorts thousands of dollars and gave them game tickets in exchange for dancing for and having sex with recruits and players from 2010-14.

Their coach, Rick Pitino, said at a press conference earlier Friday that a postseason ban was a punishment he "never thought would happen." U of L president James Ramsey said he made his choice to impose the sanction after reviewing information Thursday that confirmed U of L's basketball program had committed NCAA violations.

After U of L's administration informed Pitino of its decision, Pitino said he didn't sleep Thursday evening as he thought about the prospect of telling his team.

The team met early Friday afternoon, with Pitino first speaking with Lee and Lewis before talking to the rest of the players. When the younger players found out the news, Pitino said they surrounded Lee and Lewis and hugged them as they cried.

"None of us really expected this happening (Friday)," said Lee, who transferred from Drexel.

"When Trey and I were first (told) the news, we were truly devastated. For us to come from where we came from and put ourselves in this position to be the No. 2 seed right now in the ACC, to put ourselves in this position to play in the NCAA tournament, once we heard the news we were truly devastated and heartbroken and thankful we have these guys behind us."

Sullivan | Sanctions may signal more bad news

Lee's mother, Michelle Riddick, declined comment Friday, saying she hadn't spoken to her son yet. In late December, Riddick said there was nothing she or Lee could do about potential sanctions against U of L and that they'd leave everything "in God's hands."

Lewis's father, Joe, said that while he knows his son and Lee "will be just fine," he also expressed his frustration with the university's "very unpopular" decision. He suggested that the school's decision involved "some internal politics" at U of L.

"There was potential for something great to happen this year," Joe Lewis said. "It would have been great for the university to use this current team as a form of redemption. You know, 'Look at these great guys. Look at what they're doing. They are shining examples of good kids doing well.'

"That would've gone much further to repair any damage than making a self-imposed ban. I just don't see it. I think it would have been better served to let it play out."

Joe Lewis said his son will keep the same outlook he already had for the future and play Louisville's last nine games "with a clear vision and clarity of purpose."

"His goal is to make it to the NBA," the elder Lewis said. "That goal is still in front of him. ... It's going to be interesting, but I think our boys will rise up. Character rises up through adversity."

The younger Lewis held back tears as Lee spoke beside him. Behind them, their teammates put their arms around each other. Chinanu Onuaku looked at the floor. So did Donovan Mitchell.

They laughed when Lee joked that they'll all go to each other's weddings in "five or six years," with sophomore center Matz Stockman the most likely candidate to get married first.

Lee and Lewis vowed they would treat their final nine games like they're the last games they'll ever play.

They didn't expect it to be that way. Not like this.

"We still have each other's backs," Lewis said. "We're going to get through this together. We truly believe we're a family, and we want the community still behind us like they have been. We're going to keep playing hard for them."