Acaden Lewis visits Rick Pitino and St. John’s following Kentucky decommitment

There was some early chatter about Maryland and Villanova, but could former Kentucky signee Acaden Lewis actually be teaming up with a (very) familiar face in the Big Apple? Rick Pitino was back at Rupp Arena wearing a UK pullover back in October, but now, he could be on the cusp of stealing a Wildcat from Mark Pope.

Lewis, the No. 32 overall prospect and No. 5 point guard in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking, is currently on a visit to St. John’s.

The four-star point guard posted two photos from campus on his Instagram story, the first at The Ritz-Carlton New York — fancy! — and the second from inside the locker room with a No. 55 jersey ready to go for him next to Chris Mullin, Moe Harkless and Ron Artest uniforms and Big East championship trophies.

Lewis previously had a Zoom meeting with Villanova on the day after his decommitment from Kentucky with Maryland, Georgetown, Texas and Indiana among the others to reach out. He originally committed to the Wildcats over Duke and UConn.

His decision to back away from his pledge left UK with just two high school signees in 2025, in-state standouts Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

“I will always be grateful to Coach Pope and the entire Kentucky staff for believing in me,” Lewis said in a statement sent to ESPN. “It is clear Kentucky is a special place with an amazing fanbase, but as I reflect on what is best for my future, I have decided to re-open my recruitment. This was an incredibly difficult decision, but after a lot of discussion with my family and people I trust, I feel this is necessary. This is not in any way a reflection of any negative feelings towards Coach Pope and Kentucky. I appreciate your understanding and am excited for what the future holds.”

Last we heard in early April, Pitino and the Red Storm were planning on an exhibition matchup vs. Kentucky inside Rupp Arena — a pivot from the non-conference battle we hoped to see in the regular season. Either way, the hope is to honor the 30th anniversary of the 1996 national championship team with Pope and Pitino leading the two programs and the former players all in attendance to support their old coach and teammate.

“We may be going to Kentucky for an exhibition game,” Pitino said when accepting Coach of the Year honors by the Associated Press, per C.L. Brown of the Courier-Journal. “We were hoping to go there for a regular game, but they can’t; they can’t get it done, unfortunately. We were hoping to do a home-and-home (series) with them.”

In January, the NCAA eased the rules to allow Division I teams to play up to two preseason exhibition games against any four-year school, including other Division I teams. Previously, Division I vs. Division I exhibitions required a waiver, and the proceeds from the games had to be donated to charity. Now, schools can play whoever they want and decide for themselves how to share the revenue.

Will Lewis be on the opposing bench inside Rupp Arena when the Wildcats take on the Red Storm in an exhibition today? His visit to St. John’s today suggests it’s on the table.

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