Kira Lewis details visit with Kentucky Wildcats

2019 basketball recruit Kira Lewis just wrapped up his unofficial visit with Kentucky.

The 6-2, 17-year-old, guard from Toney (AL) has been on the Kentucky radar for some time now. Lewis actually visited Kentucky’s campus three years back to be a part of John Calipari’s youth basketball camp.

After his most recent trip to Lexington, Lewis spoke with CatsPause about how well it went, even though it did not land him a scholarship offer.

“They just like the way I play,” Lewis said. “I play fast, I can score and share the ball and I’m tall and long like a lot of the other guards they’ve had.”

While no offer has come yet, it sounds like it could come soon enough if Lewis keeps playing well on the AAU circuit.

“He (John Calipari) said I played good when he saw me,” Lewis said. “They just want to see me more before they offer.”

Lexington Herald-Leader’s Ben Roberts recently sat down to talk with Lewis about his experience visiting Kentucky the first time.

“I’ve just been a Kentucky fan since I was little. I just wanted to go up there and see how it was,” he told the Herald-Leader. “It was a great campus. And a great camp overall. I looked up to guys like John Wall, De’Aaron Fox. People like Derrick Rose, even though he didn’t play at Kentucky. Cal has just had great guards, and he puts guys in the league, so it’s hard to go against a team like Kentucky.”

This is great news for UK fans. Lewis has been a Wildcat fan himself for a long time, and that brings in dedication to not only the coaching staff and teammates but the fanbase as well.

Kentucky’s coaching staff has been watching Lewis in the Nike circuit. He has been on a tear in the league averaging 20.4 points, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 35 percent from deep. Lewis was looked over for a while now, but lately, he has been moving up, up to No. 25 overall with five-star status in the latest 247 Sports rankings.

Lewis said that he remembers when UK assistant coach Kenny Payne gave him a call after watching him play during the first weekend of the Nike EYBL season earlier this spring. Payne has compared his speed to that of John Wall and De’Aaron Fox, two of the quickest players in program history.

Adding that to an already-deep recruitment class in 2019 would be huge. Lewis can play on and off the ball which can help him elevate the other guards in his class by spacing out the floor.

Kentucky's backcourt is already set up nicely with the commitment from five-star point guard Tyrese Maxey, and the possibility of returning guards from 2018. While recruiting Lewis the Wildcats are also pursuing Cole Anthony, Bryan Antoine, and Jalen Lecque from the class of 2019. Lewis would bring great value to this team no matter who else commits with him.

Lewis has already received offers from Kansas, Louisville, Alabama, Auburn, and many more. He’s already called Kentucky one of the greatest schools in the country, and now we just need to see if he can keep improving and further that greatness in 2019.

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