As shared with premium subscribers several days ago, 2026 three-star prospect Navon Shabazz has decommitted from Iowa. The Iowa United Prep point guard previously committed to Fran McCaffery and the Hawkeyes prior to Ben McCollum taking over the position.
With the live period this weekend, Shabazz opted to reopen his recruitment, allowing coaches from other programs to prioritize watching him play this weekend on the 3SSB Circuit with United.
A native of the Quad Cities that currently plays in Des Moines, Shabazz said from the beginning of his recruitment that playing close to home would be an important factor in his decision.
"It really came down to playing in front of my family," he said. "Davenport is only an hour away, so all my family can come to the games."
With the previous staff, he would have potentially played alongside a few other Quad Cities natives.
"Brock (Harding) and Owen (Freeman), they're from the same area as me -- right across the bridge," Shabazz said. "I watched a couple of their games when they went on a state tournament run a couple years ago. I was like 'Dang, they're really good.' They're both great players, so playing and practicing with them, they'll make my job easier, and they'll make me better."
Teammates are important of course, but another key factor for Shabazz was the system that McCaffery and his staff ran.
"They run a fast-paced offense," he said. "I think I fit in really well."
His relationships with the Iowa staff were some of the best he'd cultivated during his recruitment process as well.
"They've been there for me the whole time -- keeping the same energy from when they started recruiting me till now," Shabazz said. "They showed that they really care about me. They'd check in on how things are going with my family. They'd always be there, even when it didn't come to basketball."
Matt Gatens served as Shabazz's primary recruiter, and of course, McCaffery was involved throughout the process, too.
"I really like the way they coach," he said. "They keep up on their players. They'll yell at them to push them, but they'll also bring them back up to build their confidence."
Prior to his transfer to Iowa United Prep, Shabazz helped lead Davenport Assumption to a 3A state championship in the spring of 2023 as a sophomore. That season, he averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
Since decommitting, Shabazz received an offer from McCaffery and his staff at Penn. Though Gatens did not follow McCaffery to Penn, former Iowa assistant Tristan Spurlock is also on the staff with the Quakers.
Prior to committing to Iowa, Shabazz also received offers from Wake Forest, Iowa State, Siena, Bryant and Southern Miss. Programs like Illinois, Wisconsin, Florida, Kansas State and others also showed interest.
