Itβs 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 UAβs 2023 recruiting class, joining five-star point guard Kylan Boswell, although thereβs a possibility Boswell reclassifies to the Wildcatsβ 2022 class.
βIt felt right, it felt like home,β Lewis said on KTSM in El Paso. βCoach (Tommy) Lloyd is a great coach and I like what heβs doing with the program. ... I think itβs just a great fit.β
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 Wildcatsβ back-to-back Elite Eight teams from 2013-15 that featured Aaron Gordon and Stanley Johnson.
βThe energy that those guys brought, I was like, βDang, thatβs the type of school that I want to go to and be around.β Even the football team had things clicking at that time,β Lewis told the Star after his official visit to the UA in February. βIt made me want to go there and play there.β
In Arizona head coach Lloydβs 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 Athleticβs βAll-Glue Team.β 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.
βThey definitely like that I push the ball and run in transition and how Iβm a defensive-minded guard,β Lewis said. βAlso, 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.β
Lewis visited Arizona during the Wildcatsβ homestand against USC and UCLA, and said he was impressed with Lloyd and the other Arizona coachesβ honesty and transparency.
βThey answered all of the questions we had and were being real honest with me. They were real and didnβt sugarcoat anything,β he said. βThey were just telling me who they recruit, why they recruit, what they donβt 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.β
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 Schoolβs Matt Korcheck also signed with the Wildcats in 2012.
βWhat I remember from living down there is that itβs definitely hot, but I love it because itβs the type of city that comes together when it comes to that school and the sports programs, because itβs the only big sports team in the city,β Lewis said. βI remember playing in little youth basketball tournaments at McKale Center.
βComing back now is definitely a dream come true because my dream school has always been the U of A.β