By SAM LANCE
Four-star class of 2026 forward Julius Avent had a junior season to remember. His Bergen Catholic squad won state, won county and “proved a lot of people wrong.” The 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward will try to carry that momentum into the AAU season with the PSA Cardinals.
“I’m looking to showcase my full talent on offense, defense, just everything,” Avent said. “Stepping up my game even more… And for the season long term, obviously just winning the Peach Jam and showing coaches and showing everybody who I am.”
JSZ All-Zone Boys Basketball Profile: Julius Avent, Bergen Catholic
Avent averaged 14.4 points per game in his junior season en route to the Non-Public “A” Championship.
Meet the rest of JSZ’s All-Zone Basketball Team:
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Avent describes himself as a three-level threat, but he wants to show coaches more than just scoring.
“I want them to see my full game, see my whole talent of being able to do everything on the court,” Avent said. “Shooting. Playing defense. Getting rebounds. Getting to the hole. Taking off the dribble. Creating plays for myself and others.”
The forward has a bloodline filled with basketball talent. His father, Anthony Avent, played six seasons in the NBA and some overseas. His two brothers and only siblings, Anthony Avent Jr. and Asiah Avent, played college basketball at Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall, respectively. Julius will likely keep the Division I family tradition alive, as he’s garnered interest from a number of programs.
Avent’s offers include Fairfield, George Washington, Hampton, Iowa State, Quinnipiac, Seton Hall, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Washington and Xavier. The old Xavier staff under Sean Miller (now at Texas) and Seton Hall were in to see Avent during the high school season. Avent said the new staff at Xavier and Texas have both reached out, but Texas hasn’t offered just yet.
So far in the process Avent has only taken an unofficial visit to Seton Hall. He’ll be looking to take his visits in the month of June when there’s no AAU basketball. Specifically, Avent wants to take trips to Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and Xavier, as well as Michigan State since they’ve been showing interest. Avent also named Virginia and Marquette as the newest schools to reach out.
Here’s Avent’s breakdown of some of the schools recruiting him:
Seton Hall: “Obviously the family’s been there. It’s local and I’d just be able to go there and probably showcase my talent if I had to. Still a big stage in the Big East and opportunity and stuff like that. The main coach in contact is coach [Corey] Lowery or Shaheen [Holloway]. But I would probably say coach Lowery. Yeah, he’s a great coach.”
Xavier: “I have to talk to the new coaching staff. I haven’t really gotten a chance to fully talk to them yet. But from this past year, they were high on me. I like their playstyle, being able to have versatile players, being able to bring up the ball. Simple offenses and just like fast paced too. It’s a great school and then also there’s only like one basketball team. So the culture there is going to be big and all of that for sure.”
Virginia Tech: “I like their playstyle too. They play fast. ACC. They’ve been high on me too. The coach that reached out is J.D. Byers. ”
Michigan State: “I like them. I saw them play in the tournament a lot this year. They were pretty good. I like how Tom Izzo coaches hard, but it’s like tough love. A lot of versatile players as well. They’re a great program for sure. The coach reaching out the most is Thomas Kelley .”
When Avent starts taking visits, he’s looking for a few things out of a place to call home.
“The atmosphere,” Avent said. “How they practice. The culture and how they let their players play — freedom.”
Avent, the No. 99 overall prospect in the 2026 class, will have a chance to show his skills during the first EYBL session in Mesa (AZ). The PSA Cardinals play on Friday at 10 p.m. ET to start their summer and will have three total games from April 25-27.
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