Shon Abaev, a top 30 prospect nationally and an Arkansas basketball target, is down to five schools and the Razorbacks are one of them.

Joe Tipton of On3 reported Abaev has trimmed his list to Arkansas, Arizona State, Auburn Cincinnati and Oregon. 

Abaev, 6-8 and 200 pounds, of Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., made official visits to his five finalist schools, accompanied by his parents and little sister. His trip to Fayetteville was Oct. 9-10. 

“It was great, taking a visit to the University of Arkansas with Coach Calipari. He’s a hall of fame coach,” said Abaev after his visit to Fayetteville. “He’s a great coach. He’s a down-to-earth guy as well, so it was a great visit. I loved it. … I’ll cut my list soon when I get back home, and hopefully after I cut my list, hopefully I decide to come here. You never know.”

Abaev averaged 21.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and shot 38.5% from behind the three-point line during the Under Armour Association Next Circuit during the summer.

His was named MVP of the Under Armour Next Elite 24 game in August.

Watching the Razorbacks practice during his trip stood out. 

‘Just how hard they go in practice,’ said Abaev, whose lead recruiter is assistant and recruiting coordinator Chuck Martin. ‘Coach doesn’t let them rest. They don’t ever stop in practice. They go for a full two hours. You can see it in the players, they believe in Coach so much and they trust him and it shows how much of a connection they have the head coach and that’s amazing.’

A consensus 4-star prospect by ESPN, Abaev is rated the No. 8 small forward and No. 29 overall recruit in the 2025 class.

He told Tipton he does not a timeframe for a commitment.