ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — As a 10-year-old at Mesquite Elementary School in Vail, KJ Lewis drew a picture that, among other things, predicted he would commit to play basketball at Arizona starting in 2023.
He got that part right. It’s just that his actual Wildcats debut was something that Lewis, and maybe nobody else, could have possibly envisioned.
Lewis was nearly halfway around the world Thursday, at a club gym in a different sort of desert from the one he grew up in, when he wore an Arizona uniform into a game for the first time. He had to wait, anxiously, just to get a chance to do that, having tweaked his right ankle during a workout a week earlier, costing him the chance to debut in Tel Aviv against Israel Select.
And then, when he finally hit the court on Thursday in Arizona’s 127-90 win over UAE Select, he had to overcome an unsettling feeling rushing through his body. Lewis started the game and, in his first minute alone, missed two 3-pointers and a driving layup.
“I was for sure nervous just because it was my first time putting on an Arizona jersey,” Lewis said. “I had a dream since I was a little kid to play for the U of A, so it was just a bunch of nerves going into it.”
“I had a dream since I was a little kid to play for the U of A, so it was just a bunch of nerves going into it,” KJ Lewis said of his first game action as a Wildcat, when he scored 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting Thursday against UAE Select in Abu Dhabi.
But it didn’t take long for Lewis to adjust. Less than three minutes into the game, Lewis drove inside and made a layup, giving UA an early 7-4 lead. Then he made two more over the next few minutes while the Wildcats otherwise struggled to get ahead of the mostly local players.
By the end of the game, Lewis had 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting and seven rebounds in what turned into a 127-90 rout.
“It felt good to play against different players and it felt good to play with my teammates, to contribute, and just have fun out there with everybody,” Lewis said. “It felt really good.”
The experience, and all of UA’s cultural stops between Israel and UAE, have helped make up for his injury hiccup.
Off the court, Lewis has been fully engaged, able to accompany the Wildcats to all their mind-blowing experiences in Israel and the UAE, which included a dune car ride on Friday morning after all the cultural stops the Wildcats have made in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi.
“The thing that stood out to me is Israel, where we got to see where Jesus was born and where his death was,” Lewis said. “Very beautiful food, beautiful people and beautiful culture. I’m enjoying it and taking it all in.”
KJ Lewis missed two 3s and a driving layup in the first minute he saw of live game action for Arizona on Thursday against UAE Select. But he rebounded, finishing with 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting with seven boards.
While Lewis was able to make the nearly three-hour walking tour through Jerusalem’s Old City, among other things, he initially was was limited on the court after suffering a foot strain and ankle sprain during a workout at the Jerusalem YMCA.
Lewis said he could have played on Monday against Israel Select, but since it was only August, he didn’t. UA athletic trainer Justin Kokoskie said Lewis would have played if that were a regular season game but Lewis was held out for precautionary reasons.
Lewis said he was OK with that.
“They wanted me to be cautious and make sure there was nothing wrong with it, just because the end picture is March and it’s only August,” Lewis said. “But told them I was good to go for this game (Thursday) and they agreed with it. So that’s why I played.”
So, finally, Lewis had a chance to make his Arizona debut, some 17 months after he made that commitment to Arizona, a commitment that UA coach Tommy Lloyd also held to,.
There was, after all, one goal on that drawing that Lewis did not make. He had scribbled the logo of the McDonald’s All-American Game though Lewis was ultimately not invited.
Lewis played his high school ball in El Paso, Midland and Dallas, Texas, finishing his career rated No. 81 by 247 Sports, in a four-star territory.
All that, Lloyd indicated, meant nothing.
“KJ is somebody I’ve always believed in from the time we recruited him,” Lloyd said. “No matter what ended up happening with his ranking or didn’t happen, that didn’t ever factor into my evaluation of him. I think he’s a special player and as in is going to be a unique fit for our program.”
The Arizona men's basketball team gets in its final warmup prior to the Wildcats facing UAE Select in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. Video by Bruce Pascoe/Arizona Daily Star
