Before Nike EYBL and Peach Jam basketball standout Acaden Lewis was known nationally for dropping dimes on the basketball court, he carved out quite the reputation for himself on the pitch as a soccer player.
Albeit, he was much younger — we’re talking third and fourth grade. But still, his exploits as a soccer player were enough to make people think that his future could be between the nets.
“I was a striker and a goalie,” Lewis said when recounting his short-lived soccer career. “But I just, like, fell out of love with the sport, I guess. I don’t think I really loved soccer. It was just something I did and something I was good at. But it just got kind of boring for me.”
Particularly at goalie. Lewis didn’t like waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the action to come to him. The 6-foot-3, 4-star point guard from Washington D.C.’s Sidwell Friends School prefers to be the aggressor. That’s why he eventually fell in love with basketball.
“In soccer, there just wasn’t enough going on,” he said. “Plus, my dad, he’s a basketball guy, so I was watching it with him, seeing other people play. There’s always something going on in basketball. You can make plays offensively and defensively. When I saw that, I was like, ‘I’m gonna try that out.’”
Safe to say, it’s paid off in a major way.
Lewis played his way into meaningful minutes as a sophomore at nationally ranked Sidwell Friends during the 2022-23 season by averaging 8.7 points per game. Last year as a junior, he notched 14.5 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game as the undisputed floor general for a state champion Sidwell squad that was also ranked No. 20 in the nation by MaxPreps.com.
But this past spring and summer is when Lewis truly began to blossom, leading to exponential growth for his blip on the national recruiting radar.
Now, according to 247sports.com, Lewis has an offer list of close to 30 schools, including some of the bluest of blue blood college basketball programs such as North Carolina and Kentucky being at the top of the list.
But he’s also been offered by the likes of Kansas, Duke, Cincinnati, Auburn, Indiana, Syracuse, Villanova, and last year’s college basketball national champion UCONN. Eleven of those 29 offers came in the month of June alone as his stock took a meteoric rise as he starred on the EYBL circuit with Team Durant.
It’s all happened so fast that it has Lewis’ head spinning like a defender who fell prey to his crossover. But, he’s definitely not complaining about it.
“It’s a blessing,” Lewis said. “[The attention] has definitely changed my whole life. Especially this past spring and summer. It changed my whole trajectory. I went from, like, a border line top-100 guy to [being at the Peach Jam] hearing the McDonald’s [All-American] talk. It’s a crazy blessing. A couple of years ago, I don’t know if I would’ve had this opportunity, or thought I could, to be honest. And I’m really thankful for my circle for helping me get here.”
In that circle, he credits his high school coaches, trainers and teammates. But he also shouts out both the EYBL teams he’s played for over the last three years.
“I started out my EYBL career with Team Melo [former NBA star Carmelo Anthony], and I really appreciate them. I think they’re the biggest reason why I am what I am. They poured into me. They let me make mistakes, and just really helped me to become a true point guard.”
Though scouts and recruiting websites have Lewis listed as a combo guard, Lewis is clear on how he classifies himself.
“I’d rather be called a point guard,” he said. “But if I can score as well, and that makes me a combo, that’s fine. At the end of the day, I run my team and try to win games, so I’m fine with whatever they call me.”
Just don’t call him lazy.
While in North Augusta for the Peach Jam two weeks ago, he sought out the services of local basketball trainer Darrin Shine, notorious for tutoring some of the city’s top high school talent.
Lewis showed up at Shine’s quarter-court workout facility at 5:30 a.m. just to make sure he did enough to stay basketball ready for his work with Team Durant.
While sitting out a couple of games to recover from some soreness in his calf, Lewis still managed to average 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists through his five games in North Augusta. He finished his EYBL season in the top three among assists-per-game leaders. His 6.1 assists per contest came behind only Cayden Boozer (6.5) and Keyshaun Tillery (6.3).
Both Boozer (son of former NBA star Carlos Boozer) and Tillery are 4-star point guard prospects with lengthy college offer lists, just like Lewis.
Being mentioned consistently now in the same conversation as some of the best high school ballers in the land doesn’t get old for him. And as he begins his senior year at Sidwell, he knows he’ll have to start thinking about college and career soon.
“I don’t know yet what I’d like to do in life beyond basketball,” he said. “But I do know that I like helping people and seeing people’s growth. There’s a lot of areas you can do that in. Helping people grow mentally and physically. I just like creating opportunities for other people.”
Spoken just like a natural-born point guard.
