Villanova Guard Acaden Lewis Ready to Star? | Meet the Wildcats

This is one in a series of stories introducing the Villanova Wildcats’ 2025-26 roster.

Freshman point guard Acaden Lewis was the first major recruiting coup of Kevin Willard’s tenure as Villanova head coach. 

The No. 31 player in the class of 2025 and a consensus four-star recruit, Lewis initially committed to Kentucky, where head coach Mark Pope promised him a major role from day one, but backed out of his commitment as the picture changed. That helped him fall into Villanova’s lap. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Lewis is an aggressive playmaker with a lefty shot and excellent athleticism. 

Willard made it clear at the Wildcats media day that he expects Lewis to take his lumps this season, like any true freshman point guard adjusting to the speed of the college game, joking about the stress a young player in such an important role causes him. 

“I mean, if I had hair, I wouldn’t have hair at the end of the preseason, but, no, they’re [Lewis and fellow freshman Chris Jeffrey] both playing really well. Acaden’s actually getting used to playing with four other good players on the court with him at all times and understanding who needs to get the ball when someone’s hot,” Willard said. “That’s a new process for any high school kid coming to college…  I think they’re both progressing really well. It’s just they’re freshmen, you’re gonna have to live with a little bit of sometimes like ‘what are you doing?’”

Gaining Finesse

Philadelphia Sports Now noted Lewis’ up-and-down play in an offseason film review, but the young guard put on an extremely promising performance in the preseason. That said, it’s important not to read too much into exhibition play.

With veteran point guard Devin Askew set to miss several weeks with a knee injury, Lewis will take on a major role right away. Although one can only make so much of exhibition performances, Lewis flashed his potential in the preseason, leading the Wildcats in scoring in both games.

Like Willard said, Lewis is going to make mistakes: it’s natural for a young player learning to lead an offense at the collegiate level. He posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of just 4-3 and missed a game-tying three-point attempt in the final seconds against UVA, but the fact that the Wildcats trusted him to take that shot speaks volumes.