In the locker room after Virginia basketball’s heartbreaking NCAA Tournament loss to Tennessee, Sam Lewis was the first to verbally recommit to the program.
His official recommitment ultimately took a little longer than Virginia fans would’ve hoped; nevertheless, along with returning stars Chance Mallory, Thijs De Ridder, and Johann Grunloh, Lewis was an essential domino in UVA becoming the nation’s only power-conference program to return all its eligible players.
Now, entering year two with the ’Hoos
and his fourth season overall of college basketball, the 6-foot-7 senior from Chicago, Illinois, is arguably the biggest x-factor on a Virginia team attempting to prove that retention, rather than star power, is the true key in today’s era of college basketball.
This is the fifth in Streaking the Lawn’s preseason profile series. Our profiles of Chance Mallory, Christian Harmon, Jurian Dixon, and Kalu Anya can be found here.
Last season: making the mid-major to ACC jump
Lewis has taken tremendous strides each season at the collegiate level. As an unheralded freshman at Toledo in 2023-34, he was an afterthought in the Rockets’ rotation, averaging just under 12 minutes per game and making only one start. His three-point stroke (36.0%) was immediately evident, but his overall impact (3.6 points per game) was minimal.
In just one offseason, however, Lewis went from depth piece to leading man, pacing Toledo in points per game (16.2) while lapping the Mid-American Conference in three-point shooting accuracy (44.4%). His leap earned him 2024-25 All-MAC Second Team honors and a chance to compete in the ACC at Virginia.
In Charlottesville last season, Lewis improved his game again and met the challenge of higher-level competition. He finished the 2025-26 season as one of just three ’Hoos to average double figures (10.2 points per game) while maintaining his elite efficiency from deep (40.3%), all the while dealing with a nagging injury that he had cleaned up after the season.
“I never told the media this,” Lewis recently said to college basketball content creator Christian Odjakjian. “I had a loose body in my elbow in my shooting arm. I played the whole season with that little pebble of bone just floating around.”
A laid-back wing scorer, Lewis quickly emerged from a crowded 2025-26 transfer class to become one of Virginia’s most reliable offensive threats. He posted double-digit scoring efforts 20 times, registered a season-high 23 points against NC State in early January, and delivered an all-time clutch performance in late January at Notre Dame, helping the ’Hoos escape South Bend with a double OT victory by hitting a miraculous game-tying three-pointer in overtime and a dagger pull-up jumper in the second extra period.
Time for a bigger role
Now, Odom and the ’Hoos will be relying on Lewis to take yet another jump, this time stepping into a go-to scoring role for what, on paper, could be a Final Four contender. To do so, Lewis will need to check a few boxes that weren’t on his to-do list during his first go-around in Charlottesville.
Becoming a go-to scoring option: Lewis attempted 297 field goals last season, a distant third behind Thijs De Ridder and Malik Thomas. The former will once again be a featured part of the Virginia offense (and, hopefully, an ACC Player of the Year candidate), but the latter’s departure changes what Lewis will be tasked with in 2026-27. Lewis can no longer go for stretches without being involved, and he’ll now have to deal with being a focal point of defensive scouting reports. Fortunately, early indications suggest he’s up to the task.
“One of the focuses for [Lewis this offseason] —he’s always been a lethal shooter and a strong guy and a great defender — was his ball-handling,” Odom said in a recent interview with national college basketball reporter Vince Wolfram. “And, my, has he really improved that. He’s going to be a big-time player for us this year; there’s no doubt about it.”
Becoming a vocal leader: Virginia lost five senior leaders from last year’s team, and of the returning ’Hoos, Lewis has as much college basketball experience as anyone. Lewis is as nonchalant as they come on the court, but when adversity hits, Virginia will turn to him for confidence.
“The mental side of the game has changed [for Lewis this offseason],” Odom said to Wolfram. “He’s very comfortable with who he is as a player right now.”
Becoming a late-game shot-taker: Lewis routinely flashed his clutch gene last season — his heroics in South Bend bailed Virginia out of a near-terrible loss, and his 10-point second-half scoring burst in the ACC title game willed the ’Hoos back into the ballgame in their rematch with Duke. But now, Lewis will be tasked with becoming Virginia’s late-game shot taker on a night-in, night-out basis. De Ridder can only put his head down and bully his way to the cup so many times each game. When the ’Hoos need a bucket late, Lewis needs to be comfortable being the guy with the ball in his hands.
Crystal ball
It’s time to look into the crystal ball and see what a best-case and worst-case season looks like for Lewis.
The floor: With an increased workload and higher usage, even Lewis’s floor this season will likely be a slight step up. It’s hard to see him averaging fewer than 10-12 points per game as Virginia’s primary perimeter scoring threat. The big games are bound to come, but in his floor scenario, his elite shooting percentages would dip as opposing defenses pay more attention, and he gets fewer open catch-and-shoot opportunities. A regression to about 34-36% from three could stymie the Virginia offense and create more opportunities for transfers Jurian Dixon and Christian Harmon.
The breakout: If I were a betting man, my money would be on the breakout scenario where Lewis becomes a nightly scoring machine, averaging 15+ points per game. Lewis’s three-point efficiency stays consistent at around 40% despite more opportunities, and he taps into his physicality by becoming an elite slasher. As a two-way scouting nightmare on one of the ACC’s best squads, Lewis earns his way into First-Team All-ACC conversations and lands as a late first-rounder in NBA mock drafts by March.
