FSU basketball to host former McDonald’s All-American on visit
Florida State men's basketball will host Cincinnati transfer Shon Abaev for a visit on Saturday, as Luke Loucks and his staff continue to build out their roster ahead of the 2026-27 season. The visit gives the Seminoles a look at one of the portal's most high-upside freshmen, and one of the few available prospects with McDonald's All-American credentials.
Abaev, a 6-foot-8 freshman small forward, was the No. 22 overall recruit in the class of 2025 who averaged 7.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game across 24 appearances for Cincinnati in 2025-26. He was the second-highest-ranked recruit in Cincinnati program history in the rankings era, behind only Lance Stephenson.
He is ranked as the No. 142 overall player and No. 19 small forward in the transfer portal by 247Sports. He is the first transfer FSU will host on a visit this cycle.
The fit makes natural sense for Tallahassee. Abaev was born in Israel but moved to Florida at age four, attending Miami Country Day School before transferring to Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, giving him deep Florida roots and a homecoming narrative that could work in FSU's favor.
His freshman season in Cincinnati was a mixed bag, largely due to circumstances beyond his control. He played through a tough, injury-filled freshman campaign, and former UC head coach Wes Miller expressed heartbreak over the ankle injury that derailed his season mid-year, noting that Abaev had been starting to figure out the winning side of the game before going down.
He shot 33.5% from the field and 25.7% from three-point range as a result of the difficult year, numbers that don't come close to reflecting the talent level that made him one of the nation's premier recruits entering college.
For Florida State, Abaev would address a pressing roster need. A 6-foot-8 wing with shot-making ability and three years of eligibility remaining would be exactly the kind of multi-year piece Loucks is seeking to build around.
Saturday's visit puts Florida State in a good position with a player whose ceiling is still largely untapped. If Loucks and his staff can make Tallahassee feel like home for a Florida native ready to reset, this could be one of the more impactful portal additions of the program's young rebuild.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Florida State hosting Cincinnati transfer on visit
