A major shakeup to Kentucky basketball’s roster occurred Thursday night when 6-foot-2 guard from Washington, D.C., announced his decision to decommit from the Wildcats.
Acaden Lewis is a four-star prospect and a top-30 recruit nationally. He had been one of three high school prospects to join Mark Pope’s Kentucky program, alongside fellow guard and in-state center a McDonald’s All-American and Kentucky Mr. Basketball.
Lewis confirmed his decision to ESPN.
“I will always be grateful to Coach Pope and the entire Kentucky staff for believing in me,” Lewis said in a statement to ESPN. “It is clear Kentucky is a special place with an amazing fanbase, but as I reflect on what is best for my future, I have decided to re-open my recruitment. This was an incredibly difficult decision, but after a lot of discussion with my family and people I trust, I feel this is necessary. This is not in any way a reflection of any negative feelings towards Coach Pope and Kentucky. I appreciate your understanding and am excited for what the future holds.”
Lewis’ departure comes after Kentucky added former Pittsburgh sophomore guard through the transfer portal. The Wildcats also officially announced the addition and of former Alabama sophomore forward Mouhamed Dioubate to their roster.
Kentucky remains active and is pursuing several other guards, including former Sam Houston standout Lamar Wilkerson, who is expected to visit Lexington.
Lewis, ranked No. 30 overall in the 247Sports Composite for the 2025 recruiting class, originally committed to Kentucky in November after choosing the Wildcats over Duke and UConn.
Moreno was the first member of the class to commit to Pope, doing so last August. Johnson followed in September before Lewis became the third and final commitment in November.
Lewis’ recruitment carried particular significance for Pope because he became the first high school prospect without previous ties to Kentucky whom Pope successfully recruited to the Wildcats.
Moreno plays for Great Crossing High School in Georgetown, while Johnson comes from a family with deep ties to UK Athletics. His father, Dennis, previously played football at Harrodsburg, Kentucky and in the NFL. Johnson also began his prep career at Woodford County High School, where Dennis is the head football coach and athletics director.
Pope’s personal approach played an important role in Lewis’ recruitment.
“Pope, he was in the ‘hood with me,” Lewis said when he committed to Kentucky in November. “He came to my barbershop and everything.”
Pope previously explained why building relationships within Lewis’ community was important to his recruitment.
“You can understand (someone) better when you can understand the context of their life a little bit. I think that’s really true,” Pope told the Herald-Leader last November in a one-on-one interview. “Acaden’s mom is going to know him better than everyone, his dad is going to know him better, the guys in his community, at the rec center and the barbershop and everywhere else. They know him. They know him in a way that I don’t. Getting to watch him interact in those environments and trying to build relationships with all the people around him helps me understand him better.”
Lewis first visited Kentucky unofficially last June and received his scholarship offer during that trip. He later returned to Lexington as Kentucky’s top visitor for Big Blue Madness in October.
The Wildcats also hosted Lewis for the final official visit of his recruitment. Before that, he visited UConn in September and Duke in October for the Blue Devils’ annual Countdown to Craziness event.
Leave a Reply