Felician University

Ivan Lewis, Felician University's all-time leader in men's basketball coaching wins, guided the Golden Falcons to the 2021-22 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference championship. Felician was the lower seed for all three of its conference tournament games, including its 65-64 championship game triumph over Dominican (N.Y.) College on Mar. 6 in Caldwell, N.J. It was Felician's second CACC title in men's basketball; Lewis was an assistant coach for the other, in 2009-10.

Lewis was named the seventh head coach in Felician history when he was promoted from associate head coach in May 2015. He is the first alumnus of the University to hold the position. In July 2019, Lewis was elevated to the full-time position of head men's basketball coach with no other duties.

His championship team in 2021-22 posted a 19-10 overall record, the second-most victories in program history. He set the career wins record by earning his 70th on Dec. 20 against Saint Michael's College in Rutherford. Lewis has guided the Golden Falcons to CACC Tournament appearances following each of the last four seasons the event was held. His 2017-18 team earned the program's first postseason berth in five years. In 2018-19, Felician posted a 14-13 overall record, the Golden Falcons' first winning season of the previous eight. Lewis' 2019-20 squad rattled off a 7-1 record in February and gained its third consecutive trip to the CACC quarterfinals.

Lewis returned to his alma mater in the fall of 2008 for his first collegiate coaching position as a member of Del G. Harrison's Golden Falcon staff. He was retained by Dave DeFerrari the following season, and was the lead assistant on Felician's 2009-10 CACC championship team. In September 2012, DeFerrari elevated Lewis to associate head coach.

Lewis spent 2005-08 as the lead assistant at Elmwood Park (N.J.) Memorial High School. The Crusaders won three division titles and the 2006-07 Group I sectional state championship while he was on staff.

Lewis is a 2004 cum laude graduate of Felician with a B.A. in marketing/management. He played two seasons for the Golden Falcons, and was a tri-captain of the 2003-04 squad that won the CACC regular-season title and the ECAC Division II championship. He shares the school record for assists in a game with 14. In July 2021, the Felician Athletics Department named Lewis among the program's top 25 players of its first 25 years.

Prior to attending Felician, Lewis played at Tompkins Cortland Community College, where he led the NJCAA in scoring as a freshman. He is the all-time leading scorer at TCCC, and earned an A.A. in business administration in 2002. In 2014, he was inducted into the TCCC Athletic Hall of Fame.

During his first four seasons as head coach, Lewis simultaneously served as Felician's manager of athletics facilities and staff advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

Lewis earned a master's in sports management from California (Pa.) University in 2010. He has a daughter, Mia, and a son, Jaylen, and resides in East Rutherford.

 last updated 9/30/22