The Kentucky Wildcats have undergone major changes with Mark Pope as new head coach being first and foremost. With the departure of former head coach John Calipari to Arkansas, Pope is tasked with bringing the Wildcats back to national basketball prominence. Pope took a big step towards that goal on Saturday with the commitment of point guard Acaden Lewis to Kentucky, as per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.
Acaden Lewis’ commitment to Kentucky gives Mark Pope his third recruit from the class of 2025. Lewis will join Overtime Elite guard Jasper Johnson and Great Crossing center Malachi Moreno as three incoming freshmen for the 2025-26 season so far.
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Lewis is considered a four-star recruit and one of the best high school point guards in the country. He chose Kentucky over offers from other top Division 1 schools such as UConn and Duke. He also held offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Georgetown, North Carolina, Virginia, Michigan and Syracuse.
When asked about his decision to go to Kentucky, Lewis cited the commitment of the coaching staff as a major factor.
“I chose Kentucky because they made me the greatest priority,” Lewis said. “It really felt like it was just me or nothing. . .Coach Pope and his staff have done a really good job of constantly applying pressure to make me feel like I’m the point guard that they need. I love the system. I also love the coaching staff.”
Mark Pope tasked with rebuilding Kentucky
When Mark Pope first took over as new Wildcats head coach, he had to essentially build this season’s roster from the absolute ground up. The majority of last season’s roster hit the transfer portal in the wake of John Calipari leaving to Arkansas.
The Wildcats will welcome nine players from the transfer portal to their roster for this upcoming season. Those players included Brandon Garrison, Amari Williams, Ansley Almonor, Otega Oweh, Kerr Kriisa, Andrew Carr, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson.
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They will be joined by small forward Trent Noah and point guard Travis Perry who are incoming freshmen from the class of 2024. Juniors Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn are the lone returners from last season’s team.
Kentucky will also have Colin Chandler on the roster. Chandler was originally committed to Mark Pope at BYU as part of the class of 2022. Due to his Mormon religion, Chandler was participating in a two-year mission in Sierra Leone. Having completed his mission, he is set to enroll at Kentucky as a freshman.
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