BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The 2024 Under Armour Elite 24 hosted its tune-up scrimmage on Friday night and drew top high school talent from around the country and beyond to the Brooklyn Nets’ practice family in the Big Apple. Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy was on hand for the event and shares some his takeaways from the scrimmage below.
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ABAEV SHINES TALKS UPCOMING OFFICIALS
Four-star wing Shon Abaev showed flashes of greatness during Friday’s scrimmage, acting as a point forward and offensive initiator for most of the contest. The 6-foot-7 prospect’s perimeter skills were on full display, as was his defensive versatility.
It’s becoming more and more clear that Abaev will shine wherever he lands at the college level, and the picture of where that may end up being is beginning to clear. Dayton (Aug. 23), Syracuse (Aug. 30), USC (Sept. 13), Auburn (Sept. 20), Cincinnati (Oct. 2) and Maryland (Oct. 8) will all receive official visits from four-star wing this fall.
As for a decision date, that’s still in the works, but Abaev plans on completing his entire visit tour before putting a bow on his recruitment.
“I don’t have a date for an announcement, but it will be after my visits,” Abaev said. “This is a very big decision for me and my family, so I am going to take my time with it.”
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ARIZONA FADES WHILE MICHIGAN EMERGES WITH STATON
Early in the summer it seemed as though Arizona and UNLV stood at the top of four-star center Xavion Staton. These days, things on that front have changed. On Friday, Staton said in-state UNLV is still one of his top choices and has been consistent in their pursuit of his commitment. Arizona, on the other hand, has pulled back and has dropped out of the prominent position it once held.
Replacing the Wildcats in the thick of the hunt to land Staton? The new coaching staff at Michigan led by offseason hire Dusty May, who will host the big man for an official visit on Sept. 21.
“That coaching staff is awesome with their support. If I had to name a second school – other than UNLV – based on the level of support I get from them, it would be Michigan. If I decide to go away for school, that’s the kind of support I need.”
Staton added that both USC and BYU are also now heavily involved in his recruitment and seems particularly intrigued by the new coaching regime in Provo following a Zoom with head coach Kevin Young. Staton will visit BYU on Nov. 2 and USC on Oct. 5. His Oct. 26 visit to UNLV, however, remains the most pivotal of the bunch.
“It’s my hometown and the relationship is automatically there,” Staton said of the Rebels on Friday. “The coaching staff there is always supporting me and showing love. They really believe in me. Being able to stay home and play could be a potential thing for me. I like the kind of support that I get there.”
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RECENT DUKE VISIT RESONATES WITH LEWIS
It’s still early in the recruitment of four-star guard Acaden Lewis, who is coming off of a stock-rising summer that will improve his current No. 53 ranking in the next update. Early as it is, however, he’s beginning to form options on various schools – including powerhouse Duke, to which he took an unofficial visit last week
“I was only there for a day and a half, but it was really good,” Lewis said of his trip to Durham. “They believe in me and think I could come in and play day one as a freshman. Teams that make it far in March are the teams that can really get you drafted. If you’re a big piece on one of those teams, you’re automatically connected to the NBA world. The Duke brotherhood is strong.”
Lewis has already narrowed his list to include Duke along with North Carolina, UConn, Kentucky, Syracuse, Michigan, Tennessee and Auburn. Another list trimming could be coming soon, however, as Lewis says he will be able to visit most – but not all – of his current top 8.
“I’m going to take officials to most of my schools, but I’m not going to drop those visits until next week or the week after,” he said on Friday. “ I’ll put the schedule out all at the same time.”
