Tuesday, July 13, 2004 | 9:34 a.m.
Jermaine Lewis knew enough about the perils facing an American living in Saudi Arabia to eliminate sight-seeing during a five-month basketball stint.
Still, in November, he left for Riyadh to play for Al Hilal.
"Hardheaded," said Lewis, a former UNLV guard.
He left his compound, and an apartment he shared with teammate John Carter, only for Al Hilal practices or games.
For meals, Lewis and Carter had chicken, French fries, spaghetti or various rice or noodle dishes delivered from a restaurant across the street. For snacks, they took an elevator to a first-floor convenience store for soda, cookies or chips, never leaving the compound.
"I lost almost 15 pounds," Lewis said.
The only exception Lewis allowed in his travel restrictions arrived when he and the rest of his teammates accepted invitations to the palace of Prince Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi intelligence director and Al Hilal owner who married one of Crown Prince Abdullah's daughters.
Abdullah has run Saudi Arabia for 10 years, since a series of strokes incapacitated older brother King Fahd.
Lewis discovered a peculiar memento during a tour of Nawaf's marble and gold-trimmed, two-story palace.
"He had a framed and autographed picture of Larry Johnson," Lewis said. "When I saw that, I just started laughing. I told him I went to school at UNLV and graduated from there. He had an indoor pool, lots of cars, and maids and servants were everywhere.
"He asked me how I felt about being there, what I thought about the team and if we could win. He made a point to show me new uniforms and shoes, and he wanted us to feel comfortable. He was very nice, asking me about my family."
In 16 regular-season games and a playoff defeat, Lewis averaged 35 points. Once he went for 51, and he tallied 50 in another game. Al Hilal went 14-2 before losing its first postseason game.
"As an American player, they expect you to do everything," he said. "So I just took it and ran with it."
At UNLV, he scored a career-best 24 points once as a junior and once as a senior, the latter via 7-for-9 3-point shooting at San Diego State. As a Rebel, he knew Marcus Banks and Dalron Johnson were the go-to players.
"I couldn't shoot the ball 30 times a game," said Lewis, laughing.
Before and after games in Saudi Arabia, Lewis was mobbed for photographs and autographs, and toward the end of the season an Al Hilal official offered Lewis a three-year deal.
His answer was abrupt, and he knew it was the correct one when he saw the grateful look in the eyes of his mother, Gwen, when her only child returned home to the Houston area.
"No, and it didn't take any thought," Lewis said. "I don't think anyone here who cares about me would let me go (back)."
Lewis averaged almost 10 points in the 57 games he played as a Rebel, through 2003. Last season, he determined that playing in Saudi Arabia was his best option.
He said he was aware of some trouble in Saudi Arabia before he left for Riyadh in late November, a few days before his 24th birthday. On Nov. 9, 2003, a suicide car bombing in a Riyadh residential compound killed two and wounded 86.
Still, Lewis said he looked forward to the adventure and new experiences that awaited in the kingdom, believing the trouble was, and would be, isolated.
"I hesitated, at first, right before I left," Lewis said. "Then I just made the decision that it would be a good situation for me. When I got there, I didn't want to do anything that would put me in jeopardy.
"It wasn't too bad. Then again, I didn't want to find out."
Then again, Al Hilal was never accompanied by security at any of its games or for any of its road trips.
"I think I was very fortunate," Lewis said. "When everything was happening in Saudi Arabia, it was happening in Riyadh, where I was, right in the middle part of the country. Yeah, it was quite an experience."
Told of Lewis' exotic travels, Charlie Spoonhour, who coached Lewis at UNLV, initially expressed shock Monday.
"But, my goodness, if anyone can get along with anybody in the world, and be popular, it's him," Spoonhour said. "I'm sure it wasn't easy for him, but I'm sure he could also handle it."
A highlight of the trip for Lewis was the many children he met. When they yelled "American!" to him, he knew not to flinch.
"Kids always wanted to talk to us and wanted us to show them moves," Lewis said. "The kids were into basketball and seeing Americans play. That was a positive thing. They were really into everything."
A day before the Nov. 9 Riyadh bombing, the U.S. Embassy, citing imminent danger, closed its office in the Saudi capital. A State Department spokesman in Washington said the situation was "dangerous" and "perilous" for Americans in the country.
In May 2003, four explosions had rocked another Riyadh residential compound that housed Americans, other Westerners and Saudis, killing 35, including eight Americans.
In the ensuing six months, until Lewis' arrival, a nationwide security crackdown resulted in Saudi officials arresting about 600 suspects who were believed to be tied to the al-Qaida terrorist organization.
And in June, the horrific beheading of Paul Johnson in Riyadh drew worldwide outrage and calls from U.S. officials for Americans to leave Saudi Arabia.
"If I had decided to go somewhere or do something, I would have put myself in danger," Lewis said. "(Terrorists) don't dress up a certain way ... basically, watching it all on TV right now, it seems worse than I thought it was when I was there.
"Right now, on TV, it looks more serious. When (Johnson) was beheaded, that scared me right there. It was right in the same city I was in. Right now, I'm just spending as much time as I can with my family."
Lewis lives in Gradewater, 2 1/2 hours from Houston, with his wife Nekeshia, whom he met at Kilgore (Texas) Junior College, took with him to Las Vegas and married two months ago.
He is beginning to explore options for the upcoming season.
"I don't know," Lewis said. "I do want to go somewhere safe, that's the main thing."
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