Virginia Basketball Adds Toledo Transfer Sam Lewis

Lewis stands at 6' 6 and is coming off a season where he averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field. Lewis also earned 2nd team All-MAC honors while starting all 33 games for the Rockets. 

In relief of Isaac McKneely announcing his commitment to Louisville, Lewis gives the Hoos a reliable three-point shooter as he averaged 44.4% from three this past year. 

Lewis saw action in 31 of 32 games his freshman year before taking a massive leap his sophomore year. The Chicago, Illinois native was a two-star prospect, according to 247, coming out of high school but, as a transfer, received a four-star rating, showing his improvement in just two seasons of collegiate basketball. 

Lewis attended Simeon Academy in high school, averaging 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game while being named to Illinois's all-public and all-state teams. 

Lewis becomes the current fourth-rostered player for Odom for the 2025-26 season, joining Elijah Gertrude and high school commits Chance Mallory and Silas Barksdale. 

From a coaching standpoint, Odom has named Griff Aldrich as his associate head coach and Matt Henry, Bryce Crawford, and Darius Theus as assistant coaches as they look to continue to construct Virginia's roster for the 2025-26 season. 

With Lewis being the first commitment of the offseason. Other transfer targets include - VCU freshmen Brandon Jennings and Luke Bamgboye and Oklahoma guard Duke Miles who Virginia has hosted or is set to host. Jennings, Bamgboye and Miles have yet to announce their decisions. Meanwhile, 10 Cavaliers have entered the transfer portal, and five of them have committed to other schools: Blake Buchanan (Iowa State), Dai Dai Ames (Cal), Isaac McKneely (Louisville), Andrew Rohde (Wisconsin), and Anthony Robinson (Xavier).

As it stands, Virginia has only four scholarship players projected to be on its roster next season, Elijah Gertrude and incoming freshman Chance Mallory and Silas Barksdale, and it seems unlikely that any of the remaining Cavaliers in the portal will end up returning to UVA. Odom and his staff have plenty of work to do when the recruiting dead period ends.

Keep track of all of the players Virginia has contacted in the transfer portal here: Virginia Basketball: Transfer Portal Contact Live Tracker

Stay up to date on all the latest Virginia basketball transfer portal activity, including outbound transfers from the current roster and UVA's effort to pursue players in the portal, here: Virginia Basketball Transfer Portal: Latest News and Updates