Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Shon Abaev, who just visited, digs the 'Cuse fan base

Shon Abaev, a fast-rising prospect in the 2025 class who hails from Florida, took an official visit to Syracuse basketball this past weekend.

The four-star wing/small forward got to check out the Orange at practice, according to media reports. Abaev was also in attendance on Saturday afternoon when Syracuse football defeated non-conference foe Ohio at the JMA Wireless Dome in the head-coaching debut of Fran Brown.

Abaev is a top-40 national prospect in the rising high school senior class. Over the spring and summer, he received a ton of praise from national analysts and scouts for his performances on the AAU circuit and at other showcases.

In a recent interview with top college basketball insider Adam Zagoria, Abaev touched on his recent official visit to the Hill, which seemed to go well.

Syracuse basketball faces stiff competition for 2025 four-star prospect Shon Abaev.

Regarding his trip to the 'Cuse, Abaev said to Zagoria, "I liked how competitive the team was in practice and how hard they went in every drill. It showed me what type of program it is. Also the arena they play in is insane, and their fans are probably the best fans out there."

I would tend to agree with Shon on his last statement about the Orange fan base!

Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to the 6-foot-8 Abaev in late April of this year. He is a standout at the Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. During the most recent AAU season, Abaev's scoring prowess was on full display as he starred for the 17U team of the Pembroke Pines, Fla.-based SOH Elite in the Under Armour Association ("UAA") league.

Abaev has said that he's developed a strong relationship with Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry. In the late spring, amid an NCAA live period, Autry was in attendance for Abaev during a session on the UAA circuit.

To date in his recruiting process, Abaev has taken official visits to the 'Cuse, Georgia, Arizona State, Oregon, Tennessee and Dayton. Over the next few weeks, he has official visits scheduled to Southern California, Auburn, Cincinnati and Maryland.

That's 10 official visits that Abaev will have taken. Recruiting insiders who I've spoken to recently about Abaev don't necessarily think there is a clear-cut favorite for him at this juncture.

I do think that Syracuse basketball has a shot to prevail in Abaev's recruitment, but we'll have to see how his remaining official visits go. Experts have told me that several other suitors to monitor as potentially the biggest competition for the Orange include Auburn, Dayton, Arizona State and Cincinnati.