Syracuse Basketball: Prolific-scoring, 4-star guard from D.C. is rising fast

Syracuse basketball coaches have a lot of strong recruiting ties to the talent-rich Washington, D.C., market.

The Orange has a verbal commitment from 2024 four-star power forward Donnie Freeman, who hails from our nation’s capital. In the 2024 and 2025 classes, the ‘Cuse coaching staff has doled out scholarship offers to numerous players who play high-school and AAU ball in the D.C. area.

Multiple guys on the current Syracuse basketball roster, including junior forward Benny Williams, sophomore point guard Judah Mintz, sophomore wing Justin Taylor and sophomore forward Maliq Brown, have connections to the Washington region.

Another D.C.-area prospect to monitor is Acaden Lewis, a 2025 four-star point guard/shooting guard who had a strong sophomore year and has played well on the AAU circuit this spring and summer.

I’m not aware, to date, of the Orange showing interest in Lewis, or having offered him a scholarship. However, he’s a player in the rising-junior class who I’d love to see the ‘Cuse eventually begin pursuing.

Syracuse basketball should offer 2025 four-star guard Acaden Lewis.

The 6-foot-3 Lewis attends the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., and he runs with the Oxon Hill, Md.-based Team Durant in Nike’s EYBL league.

It’s worth noting that one of Lewis’ teammates at Sidwell Friends is 2024 four-star wing Caleb Williams, who had the Orange in his top seven before verbally committing to Georgetown last month.

Additionally, another member of the Team Durant program is 2025 four-star wing Cam Ward, a 6-foot-7 star for Largo High School in Upper Marlboro, Md., who received a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball in late April.

Now, it’s true that the Orange has offered scholarships to a handful of other 2025 guards, including five-star Tyler Jackson, four-star Kiyan Anthony, five-star Jerry Easter II, five-star Darryn Peterson, four-star Darius Adams and four-star Derek Dixon.

However, there’s no guarantee that the ‘Cuse will secure a commitment from any of these other recruits, and Lewis is an intriguing prospect.

According to recruiting services, his offer sheet includes Bryant, Norfolk State, Brown, Nebraska, George Mason, St. John’s, Providence, Oregon, Georgetown, Penn State, Howard, George Washington and UMBC. Virginia is also reportedly showing interest in Lewis.

When I penned this column, he was rated as a top-100 overall player in the 2025 cycle, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, 247Sports and Rivals.com, which has him the highest at present, checking in at No. 69 across the country.

Multiple recruiting Web sites also rate Lewis as a top-20 point guard/combo guard and a top-four prospect in D.C. within this class.

In a recent Q&A with recruiting analyst Jake Weingarten, the founder of Stockrisers.com, Lewis said that the schools most heavily involved in his recruitment these days include “Georgetown, Virginia, Florida State, Ohio State, Indiana, Providence, Ohio, and Virginia Tech.”