Four-star guard KJ Lewis commits to Wildcats, returns to Tucson roots

It’s all coming full circle for KJ Lewis.

The four-star El Paso shooting guard verbally committing to Arizona on Wednesday night, choosing the Wildcats over offers from Texas Tech, Baylor and Memphis, among others. He becomes the second player to pledge to the UA’s 2023 recruiting class, joining five-star point guard Kylan Boswell, although there’s a possibility Boswell reclassifies to the Wildcats’ 2022 class.

“It felt right, it felt like home,” Lewis said on KTSM in El Paso. “Coach (Tommy) Lloyd is a great coach and I like what he’s doing with the program. ... I think it’s just a great fit.”

The 6-foot-5-inch, 185-pound Lewis will return to Tucson, where he spent the early stages of his childhood before moving to Texas before high school. Lewis, who is rated by 247Sports.com as the 15th-best shooting guard for ‘23, attended Mesquite Elementary School in the Vail Unified School District until the fifth grade.

Lewis was a UA fan who watched the Wildcats’ back-to-back Elite Eight teams from 2013-15 that featured Aaron Gordon and Stanley Johnson.

“The energy that those guys brought, I was like, ‘Dang, that’s the type of school that I want to go to and be around.’ Even the football team had things clicking at that time,” Lewis told the Star after his official visit to the UA in February. “It made me want to go there and play there.”

In Arizona head coach Lloyd’s system, Lewis envisions having a similar role to either Pac-12 Player of the Year in Bennedict Mathurin or wing Dalen Terry, who was recently named to The Athletic’s “All-Glue Team.” The Chapin High School star is averaging 20.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, three assists and 3.5 steals per game as a junior and is a finalist for the Mr. Texas Basketball Player of the Year award.

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“They definitely like that I push the ball and run in transition and how I’m a defensive-minded guard,” Lewis said. “Also, being able to score the ball whenever it comes down to getting a bucket and being that guy as well. The person they compare me to, they said my energy is like Dalen and then I can play like Benn.”

Lewis visited Arizona during the Wildcats’ homestand against USC and UCLA, and said he was impressed with Lloyd and the other Arizona coaches’ honesty and transparency.

“They answered all of the questions we had and were being real honest with me. They were real and didn’t sugarcoat anything,” he said. “They were just telling me who they recruit, why they recruit, what they don’t look for and what they do look for in players. They answered all of my questions honestly and were just being themselves. They never changed who they were around me or my family.”

Lewis will become the first scholarship player with Tucson ties to sign with the Wildcats since former Salpointe Catholic standout Talbot Denny in 2016. Sabino High School’s Matt Korcheck also signed with the Wildcats in 2012.

“What I remember from living down there is that it’s definitely hot, but I love it because it’s the type of city that comes together when it comes to that school and the sports programs, because it’s the only big sports team in the city,” Lewis said. “I remember playing in little youth basketball tournaments at McKale Center.

“Coming back now is definitely a dream come true because my dream school has always been the U of A.”