Blue Valley High basketball standout isn’t leaving KC area for prep school after all
Aidan Shaw, one of the top young basketball players in the Kansas City area, has decided to return to Blue Valley High School for his senior season rather than transfer to prep school.
Shaw, a 6-foot-8, 190-pound small forward who is ranked No. 49 in the men’s basketball recruiting Class of 2022 by 247sports.com, No. 56 according to Rivals.com and No. 71 by ESPN.com, previously announced on June 28 his plans to play at Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri during the 2021-22 season.
He revealed his decision to remain a Blue Valley Tiger in a post on Twitter that read, “Guess who’s back? @bvtigernews @bvhsbasketball.”
In a direct message to The Star, Shaw wrote: “I’m happy staying at BVHS as it allows me to focus on individual development with my trainers.”
Shaw says he has six colleges on his list of prospective schools: Kansas, Missouri, Maryland, Arkansas, Iowa and Oklahoma State.
During the recruiting process he’s also heard from coaches from Kansas State, Wichita State, USC, Texas Tech, Creighton, Iowa State, Nebraska, TCU, Texas, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and others.
“The timeline (for decision) is soon. My first date was going to be by the end of the month but I’m going to push it out to at most 9/17 my birthday. I haven’t firmed a date yet and it could be any day,” Shaw told The Star.
Shaw plays spring and summer basketball for Mokan Elite AAU.
“One of the highest flyers from the Pangos camp was Aidan Shaw. In addition to throwing down some SportsCenter Top 10 quality dunks, Aidan was a beast on the boards and showed great touch between 15-18 feet,” wrote the Hoop’s Factory Twitter account.
Shaw averaged 19.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 blocks a game his junior year at Blue Valley H.S.
Wrote Colby Giacubeno of 247sports.com: “Shaw’s elite athleticism is what immediately makes him stand out. He’s an explosive leaper and continues to gain a better feel for the game as he plays significant time for Mokan Elite.”
Chris Livingston sets decision date
Chris Livingston, a 6-foot-7 senior small forward from Buchtel High School in Akron, Ohio, who is ranked No. 4 in the recruiting Class of 2022 by Rivals.com, will announce his future plans on his birthday, Oct. 15.
Livingston — he has a list of Kansas, Kentucky, Georgetown, Memphis and Tennessee State — made the announcement in his own blog at SI.com.
Livingston, who has visited KU, Kentucky and Georgetown, said he will visit Tennessee State this weekend and Memphis in September. He’s also said to be considering playing in the NBA G League rather than attending college one year..
“My birthday is on Oct. 15 and that’s the date I picked to make my final decision. No, I haven’t come to a final decision yet, but that’s the deadline I set for myself,” Livingston wrote in his blog on Wednesday.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and just trying not to be too anxious. I just want to enjoy it and learn and talk to the coaches so I can get questions answered. What I’ve really liked is getting to know the coaching staffs and having talks about everything,” Livingston wrote.
Livingston averaged 32.0 points, 16.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists his junior season at Buchtel High.
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 8:05 AM with the headline "Blue Valley High basketball standout isn’t leaving KC area for prep school after all."
