Why the Runner-Up Big East Freshman of the Year Decided to Leave for Miami
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In today's college basketball, having a new roster is expected year after year. Moreover, when you have a recruiter like Jai Lucas, those expectations of bringing in star- and superstar-level talent continue to increase the odds of a championship-level team.
Lucas attacked the portal hard3, bringing in more size and shooting around the board, but one thing he needed was another star point guard. Tre Donaldson did the job at a high level and has now taken his talents 20 minutes up from Coral Gables to Downtown Miami as a rising star for the Miami Heat.
This season, he went and got the Runner-up Big East Freshman of the Year, Acaden Lewis.
Lewis was one of the best freshmen in the country last season, breaking Villanova's single-season freshman records for assists and steals. Not only does he fit perfectly in Lucas's system, but he will also be one of those players, like star forward Shelton Henderson, who will be relied on as a difference-maker.
"For him, we're asking him to adjust a little bit," Lucas said about Lewis at the 2026 ACC Tip-Off. "You know, his ability to score and his ability to be what I like to call a natural basketball player is something that he's been really good.
And now for me, for him -- and I can say this up here because these are all conversations we've had -- is just becoming a full and complete point guard, which he already has some of that, but just showing it to him on film and getting him to grow it.
.@AcadenLewis is pouring back into his hometown with his nonprofit work 🙌@CanesHoops | @MiamiHurricanes | #GoCanes pic.twitter.com/pXUsrkaj3I
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 7, 2026
Week by week, month by month, he has caught on to it, and he's starting to become his own new version of Acaden Lewis. It's why he left the Wildcats to become a Hurricane. Lucas saw a version of Lewis that he could lean into to become one of the best versions of himself.
"Just be the best version of myself," Lewis said. "As he said, you have to take criticism and constructive criticism at that. There were things I didn't do very well last year at Villanova that coming into this year I don't want to repeat."
Lewis continued diving deep into what he wants to improve this season as the Canes starting point guard.
With Acaden Lewis receiving a crystal ball to Miami via 247Sports, let's take a look at what Lewis did in his freshman year and what he could bring to Miami:
— Liam Willerup (@theleftyliam) April 13, 2026
- All-Big East 2nd Team selection | 12.2 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.9 SPG
- 33.7 AST%, only John Salmons in the 01-02 season had a… pic.twitter.com/IivfosCIx3
One of those things was shooting the ball from the line and from three," Lewis said. "Just didn't have the confidence. But I've done a good job, and they have done a good job of instilling the confidence in me to get that back up, and everything that we've talked about is being a pure point guard.
"Then defense I tend to take some plays off, so we've really been on that, whether it be film or just being challenged in practice. The last thing is just being a pure point guard. Sometimes sacrificing some of my shots and some of my buckets to get other people involved, because that helps us win games. Nothing matters more than winning games."
Moreover, moving from the Big East to the ACC is a shift Lewis will have to get used to, but one he is embracing. He loves the pace the conference brings, and it adds to another reason why he joined Miami. He also knows that, while breaking a freshman assist record as a Wildcat, more threats around the rim could increase those numbers.
"With this new team, I have a lot more lob threats," Lewis said. "I also have shooters. So I think the court will be a little more spaced. The ACC plays at a faster pace than Big East does. Big East is a little bit more grudgy, physical, and things like that.
"I think we'll get out, we'll run, and we'll get a lot more easy buckets, which hopefully will help to give me a couple of more assists a game, so just figuring it out in a new league with a new team."
Miami opens the season with a benchmark game against Florida. Lewis and his play will be highlighted and pointed to ahead of them, but his excitement for playing in Coral Gables will be felt on the court and through the screen.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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