Four-star point guard Acaden Lewis, a top-30 prospect out of Washington, DC in the class of 2025, has committed to Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. He chose college basketball’s all-time winningest program over blue-blood finalists Duke and UConn in an exclusive interview with KSR.

“I’ll be committing to the University of Kentucky,” he said. “… I think the opportunity just can’t be taken for granted. Being a point guard at Kentucky is a huge deal.”

Lewis joins top-25 recruits Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno in the Wildcats’ recruiting class in 2025, which rivals the Blue Devils and Huskies atop the team rankings. The 6-2, 195-pound point guard sits at No. 30 overall and No. 5 at his position in the On3 Industry Ranking.

Kentucky’s staff makes a lasting impression

What separated Kentucky apart from the finalists, along with the 26 other scholarship offers he picked up along the way? It starts with the coaching staff, led by Pope. It’s a group loaded with professional experience and knowledge leading a player-friendly system.

“I just really love Mark Pope and his staff,” Lewis told KSR. “Pope did a great job at BYU and he brought in Jason Hart, who played in the league for a decade on top of being a Syracuse alumni — and Syracuse has done really well by the DMV. It was really cool to meet Coach (Alvin) Brooks, Coach (Mark) Fox is from this area. The staff was really great, really memorable.

“They’ve done a lot to make me a priority, they’ve been here a lot for me. … The staff was just super knowledgeable with a lot of league experience, and that’s obviously the next level I want to get to.”

An expanded role in year one

The opportunity for early playing time and exposure was intriguing, as well, Lewis seeing the seven super seniors leaving the roster next offseason and knowing there are key holes to fill. The four-star guard wanted to claim one of those spots as a top contributor next season.

And Pope has made it clear from the beginning he believes in Lewis to do just that, pouring time, energy and resources into the prized recruit showing him the blueprint for success in Lexington. The flashy stuff is fun, obviously, but the staff’s work behind the scenes made the difference.

They helped make it feel like home.

“A lot of guys are older, talking about Kerr (Kriisa), Lamont (Butler) — they won’t be here next year, which leaves a little gap for me to come in and run the team. That was Pope’s pitch, basically,” Lewis said. “The visit was amazing, even outside of everything everyone has seen. Big Blue Madness was super cool, the community and everything, but we went over a lot of film. They showed me stuff they see me doing next year, the stuff I’ll be good at, stuff I need to work on.

“I think it was just everything about them was super personal to me, it really felt like home. I think it was just — it just made sense to me. I’m glad I waited, glad I went on all my visits, but it made sense.”

Stacking moments to win the battle

Was there an individual moment he realized Kentucky was where he needed to be and Pope was the coach he needed to play for? Lewis says it was actually multiple moments stacked on top of each other where it became clear this staff would do whatever it took to land his commitment, something you want to see as a high-profile recruit with opportunities to play anywhere in the country.

The coaches walked miles in his shoes back home, learning about where he grew up and the community that helped him develop into the person he is today.

“Honestly, I don’t even know if there was just one. It was just, like, throughout the time, every time I think about Pope, he’s just always kind of been there,” he told KSR. “He’s been in my barber shop, he’s been to my rec center, he’s been to my school — full staff at my school, you know? When you consistently stack stuff like that, it just shows that I am the priority. I think he did a really good job.”

“Ready to commit?”

Pope never went a day without pushing Lewis to join the family. From their first interaction to his first visit to Lexington where he received his offer to today, the Kentucky head coach told him the keys were his whenever he was ready to take them.

Their personalities meshed and trust was built almost immediately.

“Another thing he’s always done is, since the first day I met him, he’s always like, ‘Ready to commit?’ He would always do stuff like that,” Lewis said “Or when he offered me in his office, I remember he was like, ‘OK, cool. I think we got like six hours left in the visit. You have a timer (to commit).’ And he set a timer on his phone and everything. He’s just super outgoing and I really like his personality.

“Then as a coach, I just think he’s a great coach for me. He lets point guards kind of run his team. If he trusts you, he’ll let you run his team. I think him and his staff were just right for me.”

What Lewis hopes to bring as a point guard

As for what he plans to bring to the table in Lexington, Lewis wants to be a leader and help others shine rather than putting the spotlight solely on himself. He wants to help his teammates live out their dreams just as much as he wants to experience them, a role that comes with playing point guard.

“I just want everybody to shine, everybody to eat first. College is a big step, but a lot of us want to be pros, as well,” he said. “So I want everybody to have good years as the point guard. I think that’s why Pope brought me over because I’m the one that is kind of the make-sure of all that, you know? I’ve got to make sure everybody else eats, make sure our team runs smoothly.”

Pressure to hang banners is a privilege

By doing that, the winning should come organically. And he wants to do that at the level Big Blue Nation demands, as Pope has made clear from the minute he took the job and pledged to bring banners back to Kentucky.

Lewis understands the assignment, as well. There is pressure that comes with that assignment, obviously, but it’s pressure not many get to experience.

He wants to make the most of that opportunity.

“Obviously winning. Winning is what you want to do at every level. Whether it’s the NBA or elementary school, you want to win the game,” Lewis told KSR. “That’s just what you’re taught from an early level. So we want to win as many games as possible, obviously the biggest goal will be to win a national championship.

“Kentucky is one of those places where you get the opportunity to not only play in those big games that’ll get you to March Madness and stuff like that, but you’re expected to win those big games. It’s pressure, but it’s a privilege to have such a big stage where you can show your worth.”

Two Popes in Lexington

There’s the rich history and style of play, plus the pro development and brand — plenty of checked boxes. And then there’s the name.

As fate would have it, Lewis actually goes by The Pope, a nickname given to him by his uncle who once told him he blesses people who watch him play basketball. Now he will be taking his talents to Lexington to play for Coach Pope, a coincidence both sides knew they had to take advantage of together.

“I couldn’t be more excited, to be honest,” he said. “I know a lot of people say my name is The Pope, so I guess The Pope is coming to play for Pope, which is pretty cool to me. That was actually one of the first things Pope said to me, as well. Like, ‘What are we doing? We’ve got to make this happen.’

“So, man, The Pope is coming to play for Pope.”

Call it a match made in heaven.