Washington, DC point guard Acaden Lewis committed to the Villanova University Wildcats. The process closes a chase that involves several schools, including West Virginia. Now, as in the worlds of college athletics and finance combining, discussion regarding how much money it took for Lewis to put his name to paper. Kevin Willard made his first big signing for his team.
Acaden Lewis Signs with Villanova, Potentially Securing the Bag from Willard
At this point, no one truly knows the exact number. That didn’t stop the X account Terps Recruiting intimated this with this tweet. Now, keep in mind, new head coach Kevin Willard left Maryland’s under the most acrimonious of circumstances, so you need to wonder about how much of the tweet resides in a place of enmity and bias.
Former Terps target Acaden Lewis has committed to Kevin Willard and Villanova. Hearing a huge payday is in store for Lewis – well deserved https://t.co/HtJVfcSOnj
— Terps Recruiting (@TerpRecruiting) May 1, 2025
Lewis should immediately provide the Wildcats an instant starter at the point, as they look to regain their elevated place in the Big East. Adam Finklestein, Director of Scouting for 247 Sports, detail what to expect:
“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. ”
“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 7 threes per game, and projects as someone who not only has gravity spotting up but can be a movement shooter as well.”
This corroborates any film footage. Lewis plays with an ease to his game. Granted, he will step on the gas and play with pace. The ease comes from a place of vision and instinct. The Nova freshman can almost anticipate defenders vacating spaces, leading to a prime opportunity.
Moreover, his midrange game is a factor, which opens the door for fakes from the tripe threat position and dishing to the point. Most importantly, his ambidextrous finishing ability will take away a defender’s tool.
Some guards are one-hand dominant in terms of their ability to move through the defense. This will be a departure for Willard, as his Maryland teams loved the inside game.
Lewis Talks Villanova
Lewis spoke to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony about his decision. He made the reasoning clear and without the aspect of money and Willard’s role:
“The staff I ultimately had the most trust in was Nova,” Lewis told ESPN on Thursday. “We built a relationship since my sophomore year, when I first transferred to Sidwell. Kevin Willard and his staff were among the first high-major coaches to recruit me at Maryland. I have built a great relationship with them and have immense trust that I will thrive and they will let me be me.”
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“I want to play, and I want the pressure on me and my teammates’ shoulders to navigate and step up to a challenge,” Lewis said. “Nova is a historic program built on winning, and I want to be a part of the revival.”
Whether Lewis made a truckload of dough remains up in the air. Whomever represents him understands how the media would circle and pick that one particular aspect apart. Instead, the newest Wildcats focused on saying all of the right things: the school, staff, and history.
In all honesty, he made the right choice. Villanova is a school that, if recent history shows, is absolutely a guard-dominant team that will showcase its ballhandlers. One two-word signing may actually change Villanova’s immediate fortunes.
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