The Cincinnati Bearcats have started out the 2024-25 season at 7-0 and have the top record in the Big 12 through non-conference play so far. And amid their strong start to the year, they got major news on Thanksgiving. Cincinnati landed the commitment from 5-star recruit Shon Abaev, as per Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.
Abaev’s commitment lands the Cincinnati Bearcats the second-highest ranked recruit in program history behind only former NBA player Lance Stephenson. Abaev is an NBA prospect in his own right and he chose Cincinnati to help him further that goal.
“I chose Cincy because I just felt like it was the best fit to make my dream to make my dream come true and make it to the NBA,” Abaev said.
It was also a strong faith in Bearcats’ head coach Wes Miller that helped Abaev make his decision.
“It was just a gut feeling I had that I felt like was enough for me to say that I wanted to play for Coach Wes Miller and his staff. Throughout the recruitment process I felt like I built the best relationship with Wes Miller than other head coaches,” Abaev said.
Abaev is the second player to commit to Cincinnati in the class of 2025, joining four-star guard Keyshuan Tillery. Abaev plays for Overtime Elite through Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Cincinnati looking for better season than last year
Abaev wont’ touch down on campus until the 2025-26 season, but in the meantime, the Bearcats are hoping to avoid a repeat of last season. They started out a similar 7-0 in 2023-24 and had a strong non-conference record, before faltering in Big 12 conference play.
A big part of Cincinnati’s strong season start is the addition of Dillon Mitchell. Mitchell was a transfer portal addition after playing his first two seasons of college basketball at Texas.
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Mitchell is having a career-year, averaging 12.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 67.3 percent from the field. Those numbers are all career-highs. He’s started all six of the games he’s played in at a little over 24 minutes per game.
The Bearcats are also led by senior wing Simas Lukosius’ 16.5 points and sophomore guard Jizzle James’ 13.8 points.
Last season, the Bearcats failed to make the NCAA Tournament, instead qualifying for the NIT.