"Must be destiny": Former Kentucky commit Acaden Lewis' mom shares heartfelt post following son's Big East decision

Modified May 05, 2025 13:05 GMT

Four-star prospect Acaden Lewis, who was previously committed to the Kentucky Wildcats, has flipped his college commitment to Villanova, and his mom, Nateya Pompeo, is thrilled with the decision.

Pompeo posted on Instagram on Saturday to celebrate the big news. She shared a post with pictures of Lewis rocking a Villanova jersey and herself in Villanova gear.

She captioned the post:

"WE COMMITTED ✌🏽✌🏾 @novambb: we been throwing them V's up, must be destiny. PHILLY WE OTW! I can finally exhale 🙏🏽🥹 This wildcat scenario before & after has CRAZY meant to be energy 🐾🐾♟️"

Acaden Lewis committed to Kentucky in November. However, by April 10, he announced his decommitment, five days after the Wildcats landed Pittsburgh point guard Jaland Lowe via transfer. His decommitment leaves Kentucky with only two recruits in the 2025 class: four-star prospects Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

In the same vein, Lewis' commitment to Villanova makes him its second class of 2025 recruit. He will be joining Nico Onyekwere, who was also previously committed to Florida State before switching his commitment to Villanova.

Lewis finished his high school senior year at Sidwell Friends High School in Washington, D.C., where he averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

He led the Quakers to a first-place finish in the Washington, D.C., Section District of Columbia Mid-Atlantic Basketball League with an 11-1 record and an overall 24-6 season record.

He also led the team to the state championship finals, which it lost 67-51 to the Gonzaga Eagles.

Acaden Lewis explains his connection with Villanova

Although Acaden Lewis didn't commit to Villanova right away, initially choosing Kentucky over the Pennsylvania school, he's always had a strong relationship with the program.

In an interview with ESPN, the 6-foot-2 point guard said his connection with Villanova goes all the way back to his sophomore year when he first transferred to Sidwell Friends High School.

"The staff I ultimately had the most trust in was Nova," Lewis said. "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."

Acaden Lewis also took visits to St. John's, Georgia and Miami, which were also in the running for his commitment after he decommitted from Kentucky. He eventually decided to join coach Kevin Willard and the Villanova Wildcats in the Big East Conference.

About the author

Inioluwa is a High School Sports journalist with a BSc in Microbiology and four years of experience in the field. His love of sports led him to develop an interest in journalism, and that led him here.

A Golden State Warriors fan, Inioluwa's favorite player in sports is Steph Curry and his favorite coach is Steve Kerr. His favorite sporting moment was the Warriors winning the Championship in 2015 after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games.

When not watching or writing about sports, Inioluwa likes to play football and enjoys gaming, especially football manager.

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