Unable, in his mind, to make the transition from basketball to football, Jai Lewis has informed the Giants that he will not attend training camp later this month. Lewis, the former George Mason hoops star, has given up on football, according to reports.

The Giants would not confirm that Lewis is through, perhaps waiting to see if he changes his mind.

As part of a magical run by George Mason that landed the underdog Patriots into the first Final Four in school history, Lewis was a burly forward who believed he was undersized for the NBA. He was a high school football player in Virginia, and after staging a workout for NFL scouts, the Giants decided he was worth a look as a future prospect. On May 13 they signed him to a one-year contract and gave him a $5,000 bonus. He attended two mini-camps as an offensive lineman and long-snapper, and also took part in the team’s offseason workout program at Giants Stadium.

The absolute best-case scenario for the 6-5, 292-pound Lewis was to impress the Giants to the point where they put him on the practice squad for this season. All along, coach Tom Coughlin stressed that the most difficult challenge for Lewis would be not only the physical demands, but more importantly mental resolve. With the real hitting and two-a-day workouts of training camp on the horizon, Lewis decided it wasn’t for him.

The Giants report to training camp July 27 at the University at Albany.