4-star PG Acaden Lewis includes Kentucky in Top 8

ZGeogheganKSR

Photo of Mark Pope (left) and Kentucky target Acaden Lewis via UK Athletics — Photo of Mark Pope (left) and Acaden Lewis via UK Athletics

New Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope is still looking for his first class of 2025 commitment. Could that player end up being Acaden Lewis?

On Wednesday morning, On3’s Joe Tipton reported that Lewis is down to eight finalists: Kentucky, Tennessee, UConn, Syracuse, Michigan, North Carolina, Duke, and Auburn. A 6-foot-3 point guard out of Baltimore, Lewis is considered the No. 40 overall rising high school senior in the country per the On3 Industry Ranking.

Lewis has taken a trio of recent unofficial visits to Kentucky, UConn, and North Carolina. He’ll go on his first official visit to UNC in October and expects to schedule one with the Wildcats for after the summer.

NEWS: Acaden Lewis, one of the top PGs in the 2025 class, is down to eight schools, he tells @On3Recruits.

The top-40 recruit breaks down each of his finalists: https://t.co/dzonhpaqm6 pic.twitter.com/4QBUKcIaCg
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 10, 2024

Lewis made his way to Lexington last month where he was able to watch Kentucky practice and talk with the entire coaching staff, including Pope. Every coach met with Lewis in Pope’s office to extend him a scholarship. Assistant coach Jason Hart has been leading the way so far in this recruitment and Lewis also holds a relationship with assistant coach Mark Fox.

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“[Pope] just said that I’m a guy who could come in and play from day one, he trusts me with his program, and he thinks I could be something really special there,” Lewis told Jacob Polacheck of KSR+. “He was really complimentary of me, especially when we were watching my film. He complimented me and my decision-making. He said I’m his type of guard.”

Lewis has seen a significant boost in his stock over the last few months thanks to some impressive play on the Nike EYBL circuit. Suiting up for Team Durant across 15 games played, he averaged 16.7 points, 6.1 assists (third-most in EYBL), 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 26.4 minutes per outing. Lewis shot 39.4 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from deep, and 80.3 percent from the free throw line.

Team Durant finished with a 5-10 record but will still compete in the annual Peach Jam tournament, which begins later this week. Lewis put his name on the map this summer and now has plenty of Blue Bloods recruiting his talents.