New Syracuse basketball 4-star recruit elite shot-maker, prolific scorer, experts say

New Syracuse basketball 2025 four-star target Shon Abaev from Florida is a dynamic and versatile shot-maker who can put up points in droves and score with high efficiency at all three levels, national analysts and scouts say.

On Monday night, the talented 6-foot-8 shooting guard/small forward disclosed a scholarship offer from the 'Cuse coaching staff.

Abaev is a standout junior with the Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. On the AAU circuit this spring and summer, he is competing for the 17U team of the Pembroke Pines, Fla.-based SOH Elite in the Under Armour Association ("UAA") league.

Last weekend, the UAA circuit held its first official session in Rock Hill, S.C., and Abaev caught the attention of numerous recruiting experts and scouts for his performances.

New Syracuse basketball four-star recruit Shon Abaev was electric on the AAU circuit.

Top analyst Paul Biancardi, ESPN's recruiting director, said via a post on X that Abaev was among his top performers in Rock Hill. The same rings true for 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein and On3 national analyst/scout Jamie Shaw.

I didn't see official box scores on the UAA Web site stemming from the session in South Carolina, but based on social media posts, it looks like Abaev dropped 33 points in one affair where SOH Elite prevailed.

Shaw, for one, wrote in part that Abaev "can knock down shots with an intriguing ability to create an offensive advantage off the bounce. He has good footwork and touch at 6-foot-7 which allows him to get clean looks on most possessions."

Finkelstein added in part, "The jumbo wing has shown an ability to get his own shot on demand, even against a set half-court defense. At a listed 6-foot-8 with a high release, he's capable of sizing up defenders and then just pulling up over top of them, both from the mid-range and three. There were also some flashes of him using that size differential to pass over top of defenders. Most efficient, was when he caught the ball on the move, in quick rip situations, and put pressure on the rim without allowing the ball to stop moving."

Max Feldman, a scout with MADE Hoops, has said in separate posts on X that Abaev has evolved into one of the most dynamic shot-makers and prolific scorers around the country in the 2025 class.

While it's encouraging that the Orange staff has offered Abaev, he does hold around 20 high-major offers and has officially visited both Oregon and Tennessee.

Per MaxPreps, as a junior in the 2023-24 stanza for Calvary Christian, Abaev averaged 18.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game, while he made 43 percent from the field, 33 percent from beyond the arc, and 76 percent from the free-throw line.

Within the 2025 cycle, all of the primary recruiting services place him in the top 60 nationally. His highest rankings currently arrive from On3, where Abaev is No. 32 overall, No. 8 at small forward and No. 6 in Florida.

By the way, the UAA will hold its second session from May 17 to May 19, its third session from July 11 to July 14, and its season-ending playoffs from July 19 to July 21.

I look forward to following how Abaev performs at these upcoming sessions while continuing to track his recruiting process.