Cincinnati men's basketball head coach Wes Miller has announced the program's second signing for the 2025-26 season in Shon Abaev (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Calvary Christian Academy).
The 6-foot-8 Abaev is a consensus top-30 prospect and Cincinnati's second-highest rated recruit of the 247Sports era, behind only eventual NBA veteran Lance Stephenson.
"Shon puts winning at a premium," Miller said. "He's a Bearcat. He fits here. People point to his scoring all the time. He can really score. People point to his shooting all the time. He can really shoot it. But the thing I don't think people realize is that he's unbelievable at making plays for others. When he has the ball in his hands, he's a facilitator."
Abaev currently plays for Fear of God Athletics in the eight-team Overtime Elite league. He is averaging 30.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists through his first four games. As a junior, Abaev averaged 18.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He also played for SOH Elite on the Under Armour Association Circuit.
"He comes from a great group of coaches at SOH Elite on the Under Armour Circuit, and it's been really neat to watch him in that environment with his family and the right people around him in those basketball programs," Miller said. "He keeps getting better and better."
Abaev joins 6-foot point guard Keyshuan Tillery, another four-star prospect and Albany, N.Y., native who is playing at Miller's alma mater, New Hampshire's New Hampton School.