In his first full season as head coach at Kentucky, Mark Pope has added another major piece to his initial high school recruiting class, securing a commitment from four-star point guard Acaden Lewis on Saturday.
“I chose Kentucky because Coach Pope and his staff showed a great level of commitment to me,” Lewis explained to 247Sports’ Dushawn London.
“He’s been to my barbershop, my rec center, my home, and got food with me. He’s been down here so much, showing me that I’m a priority and that I’m the point guard.
“Along with that [Kentucky assistant coach] Jason Hart is a coach who’s been with elite guards, whether it was at Baylor or the G-League Ignite.
“He also played the position for a decade in the NBA. Overall, they have a lot of great coaches [at Kentucky]. Coach [Mark] Fox was just with Georgetown and has been at it for a while.
“He’s a mentor for a lot of coaches. The staff is just really established. I also love Coach Pope’s offense. He lets his guards rock out, and I know I can excel.”
The addition of Lewis pushes Kentucky’s 2025 high school recruiting class to second in the nation, trailing only Duke. The 6-foot-2 Washington, D.C., prospect will join fellow top recruits Jasper Johnson, a five-star combo guard, and four-star centre Malachi Moreno in Lexington.
“I think it’ll be great playing next to Jasper,” Lewis said about teaming up with Johnson.
“It’s already weird to go up against one lefty, but two is really weird. He’s unorthodox, and I’m a little unorthodox. The stuff I’m not good at, he is. I’m not the best shooter, but he’s a knockdown shooter. I’m a little better of a playmaker than he is. I think we’ll work off each other really well.”
With Lewis now on board, Kentucky will look to secure the commitment of five-star power forward Caleb Wilson, a target who is expected to announce his decision in November.
Lewis’s High School Career and Development
Acaden Lewis plays his high school basketball at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. In his junior season last year, he averaged 14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc. His impressive play earned him the Washington D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year award.
“Acaden really impressed me this year,” said Chuck Driesell, head coach of Sidwell’s rival The Maret School.
“The things he did were at a high level. I saw for the first time that he is truly a high-major prospect. His size for his position is the most difficult thing to defend. It sets him apart at the high school level.”
Over the summer, Lewis showcased his abilities on a national stage in the Nike EYBL circuit, suiting up for Team Durant. He averaged 16.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds across 15 games, catching the eye of college scouts, including Pope.
According to 247Sports’ 2025 rankings, Lewis is the 32nd-best player in his class, the fifth-ranked point guard, and the top prospect from Washington, D.C.
In his final decision, Lewis weighed offers from powerhouse programs, including Duke, North Carolina, and UConn, before ultimately choosing Kentucky.
“They want me to come in and play a priority role right away,” Lewis told 247Sports.
“There’s a starting spot, and [Pope] wants me to take it. I want to come in and run the team. My whole career I really just figured out how to play point guard, and this last year and a half I figured it out in high school.
“I needed a situation on the biggest stage where I had time to figure it out. Not everybody is going to come in and be the guy right away. It’ll be an adjustment, and Coach Pope will let me go through that adjustment.”
What Experts Say About Lewis
According to 247Sports’ director of scouting, Adam Finkelstein, Lewis brings an impressive skill set to the point guard position.
“Lewis is a lefty lead guard who is extremely talented with the ball. He has soft hands and natural touch that are the foundation of a very advanced skill set. His handle is tight, he’s a lay-up maker with both hands, and he has soft floaters and tough pull-ups alike in the mid-range area,” Finkelstein noted.
“While Lewis connected on just 31% of his threes during EYBL play, he’s a much better shooter than those numbers indicate. He made 83% of his free throws, attempted nearly seven threes per game, and projects as someone who not only has gravity spotting up but can be a movement shooter as well.
“In total, there isn’t much Lewis can’t do with the ball in his hands, but the area where he’s shown the most growth is in becoming a true lead guard and making those around him better.
“He still has a high-volume approach with the ball in his hands and is generally more focused on throwing assists than he is otherwise moving the ball, but his floor vision and delivery both impressed this year as he finished in the top three in the EYBL in assists.”
How Lewis Fits at Kentucky
Pope’s recruitment strategy has been clear, assembling a team built on versatility and offensive prowess. His Kentucky squad reflects his successful tenure at BYU, where he emphasised perimeter shooting and an analytically driven style of play.
Mark Pope’s vision for Kentucky, much like his time at BYU, involves building a roster capable of spacing the floor and capitalising on high-efficiency shots. With Lewis, Johnson, and Moreno, Pope has secured players who fit this mould.
Given that this is Pope’s first full recruiting class, it was essential to land players who not only brought talent but also aligned with his tactical preferences.
Pope inherited a team he had to reconstruct largely with one-year graduate transfers to stay competitive immediately, making the calibre of his 2025 class all the more critical.
For Pope and Kentucky fans alike, Lewis’s commitment signals an exciting addition to the program, with the player and coach both taking a step toward fulfilling the vision they share for the team’s future.