BREAKING: Arizona lands commitment from top-25 2023 guard KJ Lewis
Tommy Lloyd is on a roll.
Arizona secured its second top-25 prospect in a span of less than two weeks when four-star El Paso-Chapin guard KJ Lewis announced his commitment to the Wildcats during a ceremony at his school Wednesday evening.
Lewis, who is currently rated as the 22nd-best prospect in the 2023 class, picked Arizona over a final group that included Texas Tech, Baylor, Memphis, UCLA, Houston and Arkansas among others.
Texas Tech proved to be the biggest competition for Arizona with both schools being the last two to host Lewis on official visits last month. Though he has spent time in both states, Lewis grew up for a portion of his life in Tucson leading to a bond with his former hometown school that simply outweighed the other options.
“It’s always been like a little thing inside me that has always been connected to Arizona,” Lewis said of why he ultimately decided to go with the Wildcats over the other teams on his list. “I think coach Lloyd being in place with that program and building it. The style of play, the fast pace, the unselfishness, I think it was just all right.
“It was just perfect. It was the perfect fit.”
The 6-foot-4 wing joins fellow four-star guard Kylan Boswell as the second member of Arizona’s 2023 class. Both recruits have expressed an interest in reclassifying to the 2022 class to join the program in the fall, but neither has made a final decision about that just yet.
Either way, Lewis is happy to have his decision made so that he can focus on continuing his development to help him be the most prepared whenever he does make it out to Tucson to begin his career with the Wildcats.
The versatile guard produced at a high level during his junior season, and the Arizona coaches view him as a complimentary piece to Boswell with Lewis’ ability to contribute on both ends of the floor. Lewis says Arizona’s coaches see him as a combination of Dalen Terry and Benn Mathurin because of what he can bring both offensively and defensively.
“Definitely being that scorer on the wing,” Lewis said about what his future role will be with the Wildcats. “I can score at all three levels. They want me to attack the basket and facilitate for my teammates as well. Score the ball but also get after it on defense and guard the opposite team’s best player, and be that energy guy.”
Lewis’ connection to the Wildcats is something that has always grabbed his attention. When the coaching staff decided to offer him earlier this year, Lewis called it a “dream” offer and it was at that point he began to take a more serious look at a potential future at Arizona.
Having an opportunity to take an official visit out to UA eventually put the Wildcats over the top based on his entire experience in Tucson. Lewis credits the fan base, the coaching staff, current team and his views on the strength and conditioning program as being vital in his decision to pick Arizona.
“All the home games they get sold out,” Lewis said. “I think the that was the craziest thing. No matter who they play their fans are dedicated to that team. They come show support, and it’s crazy out there. The atmosphere is crazy. I think as a competitor you gotta love playing in that building.”
Arizona is the only program in the Pac-12 with two top-25 commitments in the 2023 class. The Wildcats remain in play with another high-level wing in the junior class after recently being named a top-four finalist for four-star prospect Dusty Stromer along with Gonzaga, UCLA and Houston.
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