Top-35 prospect Acaden Lewis, a point guard, commits to Villanova

The biggest addition of this Villanova offseason — the first under new coach Kevin Willard — might have come not via the transfer portal, but via the more traditional recruiting route.

The Wildcats on Thursday landed a commitment from four-star point guard Acaden Lewis, a 6-foot-2 prospect out of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, the same program that produced Villanova greats Josh Hart and Saddiq Bey.

Call it a transfer portal pickup of sorts, one fit for our current times. Lewis originally chose Kentucky in the fall — over Duke and UConn — but reopened his recruitment last month after a wave of transfer portal commitments at Kentucky. In addition to Villanova, Lewis visited Georgia, Miami, and St. John’s in April.

Lewis, a lefty, is one of the top players in the 2025 class. Rivals ranks him 20th, while ESPN (31), On3 (34), and 247Sports (35) have Lewis ranked in the top 35.

The identical size and dominant hand won’t be the only reasons some compare Lewis to former Villanova guard Jalen Brunson. The scouting report form 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein notes that Lewis “has soft hands and natural touch that are the foundation of a very advanced skill set. His handle is tight, he’s a layup maker with both hands, and he has soft floaters and tough pull-ups alike in the midrange area.”

Lewis’ commitment gives Villanova three players in the 2025 class. He joins combo guard Chris Jeffrey, a top-70 prospect who followed Willard from Maryland, and 7-1 center Nico Onyekwere, who committed earlier this week.

» READ MORE: Transfer portal: Villanova adds another 2025 recruit; Drexel, La Salle, Temple add players

Later Thursday, Villanova got a commitment from Grand Canyon transfer Malcolm Flaggs. Flaggs, a 6-6 guard, began his career as a preferred walk-on at Arizona State but transferred to Grand Canyon to join his friend, Duke Brennan. Brennan, of course, transferred to Villanova, and Flaggs opted to join him in the Northeast.

With the two additions, Villanova has 12 players on its roster, and Lewis gives the Wildcats plenty of depth at guard. He likely will see a lot of the ball in his hands right away, but Villanova also has sixth-year point guard Devin Askew in addition to off-ball guards Zion Stanford (Temple), Bryce Lindsay (James Madison), Tyler Perkins (returning), Malachi Palmer (Maryland), and Jeffrey.

Villanova remains a little thin is in the frontcourt. Brennan projects as the starting center, and it’s possible that redshirt freshman Matthew Hodge starts at power forward. That leaves backup center Braden Pierce as the lone forward/center off the bench. Onyekwere figures to be a developmental piece in 2025-26. Expect Villanova to add another bigger forward via the portal, a player like Maryland transfer Tafara Gapare who can provide minutes off the bench.

There are a lot of unknowns when putting together a roster on the fly of players who have never played together. Lewis certainly upgrades Villanova’s overall talent, but he’s never played a minute of college basketball. And since few major pieces remain in the portal and seemingly on Villanova’s radar, it’s fair to start judging the overall roster makeover. Can it stop the streak of missed NCAA Tournaments at three? That’s a possibility, though it’s hard to project.

» READ MORE: Rebuilding Villanova into a perennial winner again is the primary focus of Kevin Willard’s ‘last job’

The Wildcats will be relatively young and inexperienced. Only Brennan and Askew have expiring eligibility after this season. But Lewis is older for his grade and will turn 20 before the 2025-26 season begins. Hodge, meanwhile, will turn 21 in November. Those are advanced ages for first-year college basketball players, which makes it all the more difficult to project what the 2025-26 season may look like.

Villanova may still add another player, and there will be plenty of time between May and November to do the predicting and projecting. For now, the Wildcats landed a key talent, one they hope will be around for a little bit.