HAMMOND, La. --- ? Gerald Lewis, a former All-Southwest Conference selection at Southern Methodist University and a five-time All-Star in the Croatian Basketball League, was named Tuesday as an assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana University in an announcement by head coach Billy Kennedy.

The hiring of Lewis, a New Orleans native who prepped at St. Martin's High School, is pending approval from the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System.

Lewis, who helped SMU to the 1993 NCAA Tournament, averaged 13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists as a senior and was named First-Team All-Southwest Conference by the Associated Press in 1992-93. That season, Lewis posted the third triple-double in school history when he recorded 13 points, 11 rebounds and a school-record 17 assists in a home contest against Texas on March 6, 1993.

Lewis, who played in 112 games with 84 starts for the Mustangs, averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds while finishing as the school's all-time leader in career steals (290) and steals in a season (79).

"We?re glad to have Gerald on board," Kennedy said. "He was an all-conference player in college and played for some outstanding coaches. I?ve known him since his high school days and am glad to have him back in Louisiana."

From 1994-2000, Lewis played overseas in the European Professional Basketball League, where he led the league in steals in 1998-99. Lewis was the first American team captain in Croatian League history and was selected as the MVP of the 1996 All-Star Game.

After concluding his playing career in 2000, Lewis worked in the private sector for two years as a realtor in Union City, Ga., before spending the past year working for the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District as a classroom teacher.