On Sunday, Villanova freshman guard Acaden Lewis announced he was declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft while maintaining his collegiate eligibility and entering his name into the transfer portal.
To the Villanova fans, thank you for all of the love this year.” Lewis stated in an Instagram post.” Y’all did your thing. It was an honor connecting, building and getting to know many of you. With that being said, I will be declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, while maintaining my college eligibility and entering the transfer portal.”
Lewis averaged 12.2 points along with a team-high 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He was named to the All-Big East Second Team and was runner-up for Big East Freshman of the Year.
He set two freshman program records for assists (176) and steals (63).
Lewis 5.3 assists per game were second in the Big East Conference behind the University of Connecticut’s Silas Demary (6.0). He was third in the Big East with 63 total steals.
In February, Lewis collected a career-high 26 points in Villanova’s 80-73 road win against Georgetown. He also totaled six assists in that game.
When asked about his future following the first round NCAA Tournament loss to Utah State, Lewis did not know what he would do.
“No, we’ll see how that goes,” Lewis said when asked if he is going to the next level. “I haven’t made any decisions like that, but even if I do, I mean, I’m super grateful for everyone here, but no plans like that. I haven’t even talked about it. I mean, the season’s fresh, that’s not something to worry about.”
Lewis is the first Wildcat to enter the transfer portal or the NBA Draft this offseason. He is represented by Momentus Sports Partners, which also represents high-profile athletes such as UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr and USC’s Rodney Rice.