KJ Lewis
| No. 5 – Arizona Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | Big 12 Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 3, 2004 |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | Arizona (2023–present) |
KJ Lewis is an American basketball player who plays for the Arizona Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference.
Early life and high school
[edit]Lewis grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and attended Mesquite Elementary School in Vail, Arizona prior to fifth grade.[1] He originally attended Chapin High School in El Paso.[2] His sophomore and junior seasons he led Chapin to the Region I-5A semifinals where they lost both times.[3][4] He averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals per game and was a finalist for Mr. Texas Basketball Player of the Year.[5]
For his senior season Lewis transferred to Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas, after being named the El Paso Times' All-City Co-MVP and All-State by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.[6] Despite finishing with a 28−1 (14−0 in district) record, Duncanville opted out of the 2023 Class 6A state championship because they had been stripped of the 2022 state championship.[7] Duncanville was ranked number 2 in the country by MaxPreps and number 3 by ESPN.[8][9] Lewis was teammates with Ron Holland, who skipped college and played professionally for the NBA G League Ignite and was drafted 5th overall in the 2024 NBA draft.[10] He finished the year average 16 points and 9 rebounds per game.[11]
Recruiting
[edit]Lewis was a consensus four-star recruit and a top 100 player in the 2023 class, according to major recruiting services.[12][13] He committed to Arizona on March 9, 2022, after receiving offers from Houston, SMU and Texas Tech.[14]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KJ Lewis SG |
Duncanville, TX | Duncanville High School (TX) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Mar 9, 2022 | |
Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 68 247Sports: 85 | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
College career
[edit]Arizona
[edit]Freshman
[edit]In his college debut, Lewis scored 8 points off the bench along with four rebounds, four assists and five steals in a 122–59 win over Morgan State.[15] Lewis scored a career high 18 points against rival UCLA on March 7, 2024, helping Arizona to a 88–65 win.[16] Following the 2024 season, Lewis tested the NBA draft waters but turned down a G League Elite Camp invite and decided to return for his Sophomore season.[17]
Sophomore
[edit]Personal life
[edit]As a 10-year old, he drew a picture that said he was going to commit and play basketball at the University of Arizona.[18]
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Arizona | 37 | 0 | 18.5 | .473 | .333 | .787 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .3 | 6.3 |
| Career | 37 | 0 | 18.5 | .473 | .333 | .787 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .3 | 6.3 | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Arizona men's basketball freshman KJ Lewis is no stranger to McKale Center".
- ^ "Chapin junior basketball standout KJ Lewis ranked among top players in nation by ESPN".
- ^ "2020-2021 5A Boys Basketball State Results".
- ^ "2022 Boys BB 5A Reg. 1 & 2".
- ^ "Chapin boys basketball player KJ Lewis up for Player of the Year honor".
- ^ "Basketball standout KJ Lewis to transfer from Chapin to Duncanville for senior season".
- ^ "Duncanville Boys Basketball Program Opts Out of UIL Post-Season Play".
- ^ "igh School Basketball Rankings".
- ^ "SCNext Top 25: The best 2022-23 high school boys' basketball teams".
- ^ "Ron Holland, No. 2 basketball recruit, joins G League Ignite".
- ^ "What Were KJ Lewis' Stats In High School?".
- ^ "H.S. Scouting Report - KJ Lewis".
- ^ "K.J. Lewis Profile".
- ^ "SCHOOL INTERESTS".
- ^ "Morgan State vs. Arizona Box Score".
- ^ "Arizona vs. UCLA Box Score (Men), March 7, 2024".
- ^ "Arizona's KJ Lewis returning after considering NBA draft".
- ^ "KJ Lewis dreamed he'd play basketball at Arizona; this week, across the world, it happened".