Alijah Arenas, son of the three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, will not have another year to make a decision on his collegiate career after he reclassified to the Class of 2025.
Arenas is now one of the top prospects in high school basketball. However, the Alijah Arenas we know now came from plenty of hard work and sacrifice.
In a video uploaded four years ago, on Sep. 1, 2020, on YouTube by Fubo Sports, Gilbert Arenas talked about parental advice, comparing how his father used to raise him. It was titled 'Father/Son Interview: Gilbert Arenas Talks Trash to Son, Alijah Arenas.'
"It's because I wasn't pushed hard. My dad let me find my way and he just made sure when I did need something, it was there. Same thing here (with Alijah Arenas). I wake up to this day 6:30-7, and I work out. I work out two times before he wakes up.
"He asks me to wake him up, 'No no, you got to wake yourself up, you know that ain't my job to wake you up,'" said Gilbert Arenas. (9:51 - 10:25)
The former Orlando Magic player also talked about pushing the Chatsworth High School player without him noticing:
"I'll push and see where he goes. He doesn't know I'm pushing him. We did a leg day, he had EPX weightlifting and then he had to go play with the high school kids and then when it was done, I said Coach Todd's here, I mean he's dead tired.
"He asked why can't he come at six and I said what's the point of six when you can do it now, knowing he's dead tired, just to see if he was going to." (10:30 - 11:23)
The 6-foot-5 shooting guard now ranks at the fourth spot nationally, second in the shooting guard position and third in California.
What is Alijah Arenas' dream school?
In a video uploaded by Tarek Fattal on YouTube after Arenas' reclassification, he was asked about his dream school and this is what the Chatsworth, CA native said:
"Not much of a dream school, it's just more of like, kind of like, I know I feel like that's for everybody like what picks your interest," Arenas said (1:37 - 1:47). For me, haven't really discovered that, really looking into it though."
On3's recruitment prediction machine suggests that UCLA and Arizona have the highest chance of landing Arenas. Which program do you think we will see him play for next season?