Four-star point guard Acaden Lewis de-committed from Kentucky last week. Lewis, one of the 2025 high school class’s most dynamic guards, will look for a new home as one of the top uncommitted prospects. Mark Pope added Pittsburgh point guard Jaland Lowe in the portal, which could have contributed to Lewis’s departure.
Looking at Lewis’s original top-four schools, none of the other three programs are clean fits. North Carolina added Colorado State guard Kyan Lewis in the transfer portal, making the Tar Heels a less appealing option. Duke hasn’t added any big name backcourt players, but their combination of heralded freshmen and returning players could muddy the rotation for Lewis.
The Huskies were Lewis’s original top choice, and it could make sense for him to Dan Hurley’s squad. They could use another dynamic guard creator and Lewis would thrive in Hurley’s motion offense. However, UConn added two guards in the transfer portal — Georgia’s Silas Demary Jr. and Dayton’s Malachi Smith — who could block Lewis’s path to minutes.
Where could Lewis commit?
Since de-committing from Kentucky, Lewis visited St. John’s and will meet with Villanova. Villanova certainly makes sense for the Washington D.C. native. The Wildcats haven’t landed a recruit of Lewis’s caliber since Cam Whitmore in 2022. Lewis wouldn’t have many blocks to playing time and on-ball reps, making Villanova a possibly attractive option. New head coach Kevin Willard will certainly push his chips in for Lewis.
From a basketball perspective, St. John’s and Rick Pitino could make the most sense. Pitino’s squad sputtered offensively in the NCAA Tournament, so adding an excellent offensive player like Lewis would help remedy that problem. They didn’t have a creator and playmaker like Lewis on the roster this season and would greatly benefit from a player as talented as him.
The Red Storm added a few guards in the transfer portal so far — Arizona State’s Joson Sanon and Stanford’s Oziyah Sellers — but it wouldn’t be shocking to see them prioritize the talented freshman from the nation’s capital.
Other DMV programs like Maryland and Georgetown will likely enter the mix for Lewis’s services. There won’t be a shortage of suitors for a player of his talent, even if the transfer portal complicates his fit on some rosters.
