Villanova

Villanova Lands Four-Star Point Guard Prospect who Decommitted from Kentucky

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: May 1st, 2025 · 1:22 PM EDT

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Don’t let Temple Owl Kyle Pagan see this:

Former Kentucky commit and four-star prospect Acaden Lewis tells me that he has committed to Villanova.

A significant building block for Kevin Willard and the Wildcats.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 1, 2025

NEWS: Top-35 recruit Acaden Lewis, a former Kentucky signee, has committed to Villanova, he told @On3Recruits.

The 6-2 senior is one of the best point guards in the country. https://t.co/G3cvFPxUsW pic.twitter.com/zc44sGOPsu

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 1, 2025

Lewis decommitted from Kentucky earlier last month. He visited a handful of big schools and decided to join Nova and new head coach Kevin Willard, so we extend a warm Philadelphia welcome to him. Or maybe a warm suburban welcome if you’re one of those people who thinks Nova is not a Philly school.

Here’s some info from Jonathan Givony at ESPN:

Washington D.C.’s Gatorade player of the year in 2024, the Sidwell Friends School product is ESPN’s No. 7-ranked point guard in the 2025 high school class. Considered one of the best pick-and-roll operators in the class, Lewis finished third in assists in the Nike EYBL last season with 6.1 per game, adding 16.7 points and 4.9 rebounds for Team Durant.

Lewis is a major addition for Villanova at a position of significant need. He joins transfers Devin Askew (Long Beach State), Bryce Lindsay (James Madison), Zion Stanford (Temple), Malachi Palmer (Maryland), Duke Brennan (Grand Canyon) and Braden Pierce (Maryland) as well as incoming freshman Nico Onyekwere. Villanova retained power forward Matthew Hodge, a four-star recruit in the 2024 high school class, who was forced to redshirt this past season due to academic ineligibility.

There’s been a lot of turnover at Nova. Eric Dixon was not eligible for a 17th year of college hoops, while Wooga Poplar graduated. A number of freshmen hit the transfer portal along with Enoch Boakye and Nnanna Njoku, who have yet to find new teams (EDIT – I’m looking at an old transfer portal list. Njoku is going to Delaware. Boakye’s status is contingent on the 5th year eligibility ruling) . Four Maryland guys followed Willard to the Main Line.

Bottom line, we need as many good players to join the Big 5 as humanly possible. The Big 5 needs some jam, as Peter Laviolette used to say. There’s been no jam in the figurative Big 5 building, as all six schools have missed the NCAA Tournament going back three years in a row now. Plus, anytime someone decommits from Kentucky, an angel gets its wings. Go Cats go!