Navon Shabazz looking forward to April evaluation period
Navon Shabazz has played on the Nike AAU circuit before, but as he gets older, the spotlight will begin to shine brighter on the top 2026 prospect in the state of Iowa. This spring he will be playing for the Meanstreets AAU program out of Chicago and after beginning that journey this weekend, he has enjoyed what it has to offer.
“It’s been fun so far. I feel like I really get along with my teammates on and off the court. We have been practicing and learning to play with each other,” Shabazz said Saturday afternoon.
This past Saturday he and his teammates played in a one day warm-up event in Bettendorf at the TBK Bank Complex to get ready for the highly competitive Nike EYBL circuit later this month, when college coaches will be in the building.
“I am looking forward to playing against the best players in the country and improve by playing against them,” he said. “I am also looking forward to playing in front of the college coaches and scouts that will be at the EYBL events.”
Shabazz will also play some AAU basketball with the Martin Brothers AAU program based in Iowa.
Thus far, Shabazz has been getting a good amount of interest from college programs. He holds offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Siena and Wake Forest. Both in-state schools have been making a push for the 6-foot-4 guard from Davenport, IA.
“Both in-state schools have been talking to me. The Iowa coaches have been really on me quite a bit wanting me to visit again and get to know the coaches and players and they want me to be a Hawkeye.”
There is a new school that has entered the race for the 2026 combo guard and that’s North Carolina. Shabazz says that the Tar Heels reached out to his coach a couple of weeks ago.
While the AAU season is now front and center in the month of April, Shabazz was part of a pretty significant accomplishment in the month of March. He helped Davenport Assumption capture a state title in Class 3A after defeating Waverly Shell Rock 47-46.
In that state title game, Shabazz scored 16 points, but it was his defense, which included four steals, that sealed the championship for the Knights.
“I felt like it showed how I can impact the game on both ends of the floor. I think my defense really impacted the outcome of the game since I was able to slow down their best player late in the game.”
