What Acaden Lewis Brings to Villanova Basketball

Villanova made a big change to their program this offseason when they hired former Maryland head coach Kevin Willard, who saw success last season with the Terrapins, getting them to the Sweet 16 behind the brilliance of freshman center Derik Queen.

Villanova, who won two national titles in 2016 and 2018 under the legendary Jay Wright, struggled in recent years under Kyle Neptune, who took over after Wright's last year in 2021-22. After finishing .500 two years in a row in the Big East and just one game over that mark in 2024-25, the brass at Villanova decided to move on from Neptune, making the move to hire Willard away from Maryland.

Villanova's new roster has a couple of veterans, but mostly consists of a mix of younger players with high upside, like James Madison guard Bryce Lindsay and Temple wing Zion Stanford. Another such player is freshman point guard Acaden Lewis, a former Kentucky commit who flipped to a new group of Wildcats in early May of this year.

Lewis was a four-star recruit, earning a 95.85 rating from the Rivals Industry Ranking system. He was ranked as the no. 35 player in the country, the no. 5 point guard, and the no. 1 player in the Washington, DC area coming out of Sidwell Friends near the nation's capitol. Outside of Kentucky, he also had interest in Georgetown, St. John's, and Georgia, ultimately selecting Willard's staff over his other options.

What kind of player is Acaden Lewis?

For starters, he is a 6-foot-2 lead initiator, a southpaw with an elite handle that allows him to manipulate defenses and get to the rim with flair. He is a microwave-scorer type of prospect, a player that can get hot at a moment's notice and fill it up on the offensive end. He can shoot from beyond the arc as well, with great, deep range, making him a very versatile scorer who can take advantage of defenses in multiple ways.

Defensively, he has good instincts and quick hands, but due to his size, he can be a player who commits fouls while reaching in and struggles with jumbo guards. The effort, however, is there, something that will give him an edge as a freshman lead initiator when playing the defensive end of the floor. With a very young team, Lewis will have plenty of opportunities to play minutes, and though he will be competing with sixth-year senior Devin Askew, he should be on the court plenty in his inaugural year of collegiate basketball.