Florida State and Luke Loucks gain a past McDonald's All-American and Cincinnati freshman via the transfer portal.
Florida State men's basketball swooped up more than experience via the transfer portal.
Head coach Luke Loucks and the Seminoles coaching staff reeled in past prep stars too, a la a former McDonald's All-American.
Shon Abaev of Cincinnati is one of the premier additions to FSU via the portal. Abaev rose to five-star status before committing to Cincinnati.
Now Loucks brings back a Sunshine State talent. He finally broke his silence about Abaev's addition via a school news release and instantly raved about the arrival of the past prep phenom.
"Shon is a proven competitor who has already produced at a high level as a freshman, and we believe his best basketball is still ahead of him," Loucks said.
While still considered a novice for the college basketball game, Loucks noticed the traits and experience Abaev gained on the hardwood floor. Furthermore, landing Abaev pairs him back up with a familiar face already on the FSU roster.
"His experience on big stages, winning background, and versatility make him a great fit for our program, and we're excited to add him alongside a familiar teammate in Collin Paul," Loucks said.
Paul starred for Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, where he became a four-star signing for FSU via the 2026 recruiting class.
Abaev starred at the same high school in carving out his prep resume. He graduated a grade earlier than Paul but again, skyrocketed to five-star status and became the nation's No. 5 small forward, per 247Sports composite.
It's not fully known if Paul also had a lot of say in bringing Abaev over to Tallahassee. But the familiarity aspect definitely helps Abaev's transition to FSU. Loucks continued to speak glowingly about the incoming transfer.
"Shon has positional size matched with an extremely high skill set that will thrive in our system," Loucks said.
Abaev leaves Cincy averaging seven points per game while playing in the Big 12, which annually garners a reputation for being the nation's toughest basketball conference. He managed to lock horns with names like AJ Dybantsa of BYU, Kingston Flemings of Houston plus the Arizona duo of Brayden Burries and Koa Peat.
Abaev isn't the only arrival via the Big 12. Former Colorado power forward Sebastian Rancik also heads to Tallahassee.
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