We’re still about two months away from the start of the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball season, but Adrian Autry and his staff are hard at work on the recruiting front now.

Four-star small forward Shon Abaev took an official visit to SU last weekend, August 30 & 31, and had praise for both Autry and the unique environment Orange Nation and the Dome offer:

“I’m really close with the coach, Coach Red,” Abaev told ZAGSBLOG in an interview. “He’s a great guy, great coach, and played in the NBA. He’s given me great advice not just as a player but as a person as well.”

“I liked how competitive the team was in practice and how hard they went in every drill. It showed me what type of program it is. Also, the arena they play in is insane, and their fans are probably the best fans out there.”

We’re glad to see playing in front of over 30k fans still has an appeal.

The 6’7” wing also visited Dayton last month and has trips scheduled with USC, Auburn, Cincinnati, and Maryland this fall. Abeav is a Composite Top-40 prospect in his class and Top-10 at his position.

A familiar name will also be staying in touch with the Orange coaches. Four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony had an in-home visit yesterday; he previously took an official visit to the building with his dad’s name on it last October:

Kiyan named SU as one of his six finalists in late July. The 6’5”, 185 lbs. Legacy candidate is also a Composite Top-40, as well as the Number One prospect in New York state from his Class. The major recruiting sites have him favoring the Orange at this time.

The duo would be welcomed alongside a third Top-40 prospect, Four-star power forward Sadiq White, who is currently the only SU commit from the Class of 2025.

Additionally, 2026 Five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. will make an unofficial visit to Syracuse this month, prior to also visiting ACC rivals Duke and UNC. A Composite Top-10 prospect, Smith with be in Salt City on the 21st, according to a report by Colby Giacubeno.

The 6’3” junior has 28 offers and counting, though ‘Cuse was one of the first schools to reach out.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Red is still being aggressive in his attempt to return the Orange to glory on the hardwood. Stay tuned to find out if and when he strikes gold with one (or more) of these top targets.