Four-star guard KJ Lewis breaks down why he committed to Arizona

El Paso-Chapin High School star guard KJ Lewis always wanted to make an early decision. He did just that Wednesday night deciding that Arizona will be his next home. The four-star guard, who currently ranks as the 22nd-best recruit in the 2023 class, grew up for a time in Tucson so he always felt a strong connection to the Wildcats.

However, for a time the idea that he could eventually suit up for his former hometown school only seemed like a pipe dream. Then things started to change.

The Wildcats expressed interest and turned up the intensity this winter when assistant coach Steve Robinson made the trek east to El Paso. Then UA head coach Tommy Lloyd decided he needed to go watch Lewis play. He will tell you that it wasn’t his best performance, but it was a strong enough showing to impress Lloyd and earn the 6-foot-4 guard an offer.

Lewis quickly scheduled an official visit for Feb. 5, which was only weeks after picking up his offer from Arizona, and eventually set its sights on seeing what the school had to offer.

The Wildcats played USC when he visited campus, a top-25 matchup at McKale Center. Lewis’ weekend stay in Tucson enlightened him and gave him a glimpse of the program that he had not seen before.

By the time he left that visit he had a strong idea about where he would end up. Lewis made an official visit to Texas Tech, which was Arizona’s main competition in the end, but something always pulled him back to that program he grew up watching.

“It’s always been like a little thing inside me that has always been connected to Arizona,” Lewis said. “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.”