Alijah Arenas, freshman son of Gilbert Arenas, introduces his recruitment
Alijah Arenas averaged 30.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals as a freshman this season at Chatsworth High (CA). The 6-foot-4 guard is also a finalist to make the USA Basketball u16 team.
“I’m a scorer. I think I can shoot the ball really well, and I can get to the basket,” Arenas tells On3. “My IQ grew this season and a lot with my frame. I grew a lot on defense too, positioning, and help side. I’ve improved.”
The name may sound familiar, as Arenas is the son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. Alijah’s father averaged 20.7 points throughout his NBA career. He was also first-team All-Pac 12 at Arizona prior to entering the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.
“I feel like there are some higher expectations for me,” Arenas said. “But, I’m just going to take that. It gives me the motivation to be better. Everyone here is really good; they don’t care about my name; I got to keep getting better.”
Arenas talks recruitment
Alijah Arenas has built his own reputation based on his standout play. Colleges have taken notice of that, and the offers have started flowing in. He now claims over 15 offers, all of which have come in since April 1.
“I have offers from UCLA, Texas, Kansas, Arizona State, Xavier, Cal, and a few others right now,” Arenas said. “I grew up watching Duke and then Arizona because of my dad.”
Arenas is averaging 11.0 points per game, playing up two age groups this summer with the Compton Magic program on the Adidas 3SSB 17u Circuit. With his dad’s success at Arizona, there is a natural relationship with the program.
“They’ve seen me a few times, been to my games,” Arenas said. ” And I’ve been to a few of their games; I’ve dealt with players and talked with staff. Our relationship is good. When I’ve talked with the coaches, it has been just to catch up really. They’ve shown me a little about what it would be like to go there, but mostly just talking.”
The freshman in high school’s journey is just starting, so any decision is a long way off. However, as he starts through this process, he has one thing in mind for what he will be looking for in a college program.
“I’m going to be looking at the school I can go to where I can be the best I can be,” Arenas said.”