Chapin Standout Junior KJ Lewis Commits to Pac-12 Powerhouse Arizona

The entire sporting community of El Paso watched as class of 2023 star junior guard KJ Lewis announced his commitment to Pac-12 powerhouse Arizona on Wednesday in front of friends and family at Chapin High School.

The Chapin standout is widely regarded as a top-25 prospect across the country and he might be the best recruit to come out of El Paso since the late Cliff Tucker, who starred at Maryland for his college basketball career.

Watch his formal announcement with KTSM's Colin Deaver.

Going into Wednesday's decision, Lewis had narrowed down his choices to five: Wildcats, Arkansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, and UCLA. In the end, he chose to play for Arizona and the new program built under Tommy Floyd.

Other schools that showed interest in Lewis included Houston, Texas A&M, UTEP, DePaul, Kansas, TCU, NMSU, SMU, Western Illinois and Arizona State. The Miners cracked his top-10 choices, but Lewis plans to endure a path that could lead him to play basketball professionally at Arizona, which has eight players currently in the NBA,

Chapin finished this season as Regional Semifinalists in the 5A Texas State basketball playoffs, posting a 31-5 overall record, including a 14-0 finish in district play. Lewis averaged nearly 20 points per game, along with 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game during his junior campaign.

Arizona is currently 29-3 and ranked No. 2 in the AP Top-25 poll. Pac-12 Player of the Year and shooting guard Benedict Mathurin is expected to be an NBA draft pick in this year's class, freeing up an opportunity for Lewis to compete for playing time once he joins the squad in 2023.

For now, El Pasoans should continue to celebrate Lewis, who is one of the most decorated prospects from any sport to play his high school ball in El Paso.