Four-star Blue Valley forward Aidan Shaw shares why he chose Mizzou, goals for season
Aidan Shaw became the highest ranked recruit to sign with Missouri men’s basketball since 2017 when he inked his national letter of intent last Thursday.
Shaw, a four-star rated 6-foot-8 forward out of Blue Valley High School, is ranked No. 52 overall in the 2022 class and third-best in Kansas, according to the 247 Sports Composite.
The Star spoke with Shaw in an exclusive interview about his recruiting and signing process, what fans can expect from him as a Tiger, his goals for his last season of high school basketball and more.
Q: What was this past week like for you, getting to sign your NLI and make things official with Missouri?
Shaw: It was great. You know, leading up to it, just getting the family and trainers and other close people out to be there and kind of support me while I’m signing was good. And just the signing process and talking to coaches from Mizzou was, it was all fun, just something I’ll definitely remember.
How excited are you to join this team, work with Cuonzo Martin and get your college career started?
I’m super excited. This is the next step of my basketball career and my story, it’s the next chapter. So I’m really excited to get out there and give it my all and be the best I can be.
What was the biggest factor in making you want to choose Mizzou?
I feel like the relationship with the coaches that I had, it was different. I could trust them. And I know that the coaches there, they’re straightforward and they’ll tell me exactly what I need to be a better basketball player and be better off the court as well.
What was it about Cuonzo Martin that attracted you to him as a head coach?
Coach Cuonzo, really, like I said, he’s a really straightforward guy, funny guy. He’s been around coaching basketball for a long time, so he knows what he’s doing. And yeah, I just feel like he’s doing a great job. And those are the main things.
As someone who grew up around the Kansas City area, what does it mean to you to be able to stay close to home and play for a school like that?
It’s definitely really nice because family is gonna be able to come out there more and support me and it’s gonna be nice because I don’t have to drive or go as far as somewhere on the coast or something like that. So it’s really a breath of fresh air. I feel like that wasn’t really something I was worried about going into selecting a college honestly, like distance, but since it is close I feel like yeah, it’s nice.
Cuonzo Martin mentioned your work ethic, saying that it’s at the level of a senior in college as a senior in high school. What kind of work do you do behind the scenes on your game?
Yeah, definitely. I work out a couple times a day. You know, get up in the morning, I’ve got my 6 a.m. workouts, so I gotta wake up at like 4:50, leave, do that, go to school, sometimes I shoot before school too. And then I get another workout with my school. And then sometimes I get another workout in after that. So really it’s just a grind and really a lifestyle that I’m kind of used to now, so it’s definitely, it’s nice seeing hard work pay off as well. So that’s my work ethic in a bunch.
When did you start that routine of getting up that early and focusing so much energy towards that?
So really, usually throughout high school I didn’t really like getting up in the morning, honestly, but really this year, I really buckled down and really got into getting up in the morning because I feel like I can get my workouts in that way. You know, because the day’s only so long and the earlier you get up the more time you get. So I really just started that this year. It’s cool.
For any of our readers that aren’t as familiar with your game, how would you describe it and the skill set you bring to the court?
I would describe my game as [a] really high energy basketball player, loves defense, can defend anybody. I’m also good on the offensive side though too, I can go get a bucket whenever I need to. And I really just like to have fun. So that would describe my game, I’m an all around player.
Being someone that loves defense, did Cuonzo Martin’s emphasis on that play a factor in your decision?
Yeah, definitely. Like I went out and watched one of their practices and I got to see them do defensive concepts and stuff like that. So it was nice seeing their calls and stuff like pick and rolls or whatever. But yeah, defense for him being a priority is definitely something that I like and I mean, I guess I agree with.
Five-star Mark Mitchell, another player from the Kansas City area, has Mizzou in his final three schools. Have you guys talked at all about playing together there?
I don’t really talk to him really on a basis like that. I see him around every once in a while, so I’m not really sure where his mind’s at on colleges. I did see him though on homecoming at Mizzou. I had an unofficial and he had an official or whatever, so I got to catch up with him there. But other than that, I haven’t really spoke to him on it.
What are your goals for last season of high school basketball?
I’m trying to — I’m not trying to, I’m gonna lead my team to a state title. Try to get some accolades, some awards or whatever on the way. Definitely want to get my name out some more, I want to be known and really just give it my all this season. So that’s that’s it though, as of right now.
