Acaden Lewis offers glimpse of promising future on Main Line with show-stealing debut performance

Acaden Lewis made memorable first impression in a Villanova uniform, scoring team-high 15 points in Wildcats’ exhibition win over VCU. (Photo by Villanova Athletics)

VILLANOVA, Pa. — Regardless of where Acaden Lewis suited up this season, it was widely expected that the Washington, D.C. native would make an immediate impact for whomever won the competition for his services.

Initially, that victor in that bidding was Kentucky, who signed Lewis — a four-star recruit ranked 32nd in the class of 2025 by ESPN and 48th by 247Sports — in November. But after a slew of transfers decided to take their talents to Lexington via the portal, Lewis was released from his letter of intent in April, reopening his recruitment. Ultimately, he remained a Wildcat, only in the Big East Conference as opposed to the SEC, signing with Villanova a month later.

With an opportunity to see major minutes as Villanova’s starting point guard, Lewis made the most of being thrown into the fire in his first real action Sunday. The 6-foot-2 freshman scored the first points of the Wildcats’ 70-51 exhibition victory over VCU, engineering a wire-to-wire win and leading the way after the smoke cleared, pacing his team with 15 points and adding three assists for good measure.

“He’s the real deal,” VCU head coach Phil Martelli, Jr. conceded after watching Lewis firsthand. “He’s gonna be a problem for a lot of people. I didn’t realize his ability at that young of an age to be able to play the game that much with the ball in your hands, to make the right reads, make the right plays. He can go.”

While the coach tasked with stopping the precocious freshman tipped his hat after the game, the wunderkind was harder on himself in its aftermath, admitting he still had much to learn.

“It hasn’t been seamless,” Lewis said of his transition from the high school game. “I struggle with turnovers and just doing a little too much at times. I’m playing with really good players, so I’m just learning to get off the ball, get it back on the second swing or third swing. We have a lot of talented guys on this team, so the best thing I’ve done is kind of just stayed out of the way. Here, I’m trying my best to let other dudes rock out and get mine when they’re needed. This whole summer, they’ve been preaching to me (about) pocket passes. Every time I watch film, I miss three or four pocket passes and they’re always on me about it.”

“I think one of the biggest things with young players is getting the casualness out of their game and understanding that every possession is really important,” head coach Kevin Willard expounded. “You just can’t come down and be casual, it has to have purpose on every possession. I thought Acaden played very well, pretty good, but we’ve just gotta work on it.”

The connection Lewis has built with Bryce Lindsay appears to be ahead of the curve already. The freshman and the James Madison transfer were interchangeable running the offense and bringing the ball up the floor, finding each other at several points to expand a lead that grew to double digits late in the first half and stayed there for the remainder of the evening.

“He’s been a great bigger brother to me,” Lewis said of Lindsay. “He always gives me pointers. He’s been great for me. I think everybody on this team is like a big brother to me, even though I’m a little old. They’ve picked me up, even when I was nervous, and just told me to play through it, and I appreciate them for that. That lift-up really helped me out.”

Lewis also made it a point to seek out Duke Brennan in the paint at different segments of the game. Brennan, Villanova’s starting center at 6-foot-10, battled foul trouble for most of his 25-plus minutes of playing time, changing Lewis’ instincts to make sure the big man was able to put his imprint on the outcome as well.

“I tried to get him going,” he said, emphasizing his desire to keep Brennan involved. “He had foul trouble and he was in and out of the game, so I was trying to get him some touches here and there. I just want him to feel like he’s part of the team, even when he’s out of the game.”

With four Wildcats unavailable due to injury, the bond between Lewis and Lindsay took on greater importance Sunday. Villanova will likely be without Devin Askew and Zion Stanford for its November 3 opener against BYU, forcing a young backcourt to mature even more. But if Sunday’s first look was any indication, the coming of age looks to be accelerating at an opportune time.

“I would say me and Acaden have built a strong chemistry together,” Lindsay echoed. “This summer, we played a lot together and we get up and down. I’m just taking him under my wing, giving him pointers. He’s a great player, he understands the game as a point guard to not get on him too much, but just let him be free out there.”