Top-5 recruit Chris Livingston drawing interest from Kentucky

Chris Livingston is one of the top players in the class of 2022. He’s currently ranked third overall and has now caught the eye of Kentucky’s coaching staff.

This past week, Kentucky was one of several teams that called Livingston, as reported by 247.

“He heard from Memphis, Kentucky, Alabama, South Carolina, Michigan, Texas, Air Force and Ohio State,” Joe Livingston, father of Chris, said. “I think Chris or his mom may have talked to Ohio State.”

Livingston stands at 6-6 and has superior strength and athleticism. He can take it to the rim at will and he shows a lot of potential on the defensive side of the ball. His sophomore year numbers were quite impressive, as he averaged 32.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

“We have been fortunate,” Joe Livingston said. “We had a couple of gyms where we could get some access and get some shots up. There was a church that had a gym where they (Chris and his brother Cordell) could go, too. They worked out outside. They have worked hard on their skills. They are looking good.”

Since playing actual games has come to a halt, players have had to find creative ways to stay active. However, there is a chance coaches and teams will be allowed to schedule games in September/October.

When asked about the G-League as a potential landing spot for Chris, Joe Livingston said, “No, it’s too early. He’s only going into the 11th grade. We will see what’s next and what the coming year brings.”

It will be interesting to see how Kentucky pursues Livingston going forward. We’ve seen Calipari and staff back off of guys like Isaiah Todd and Jalen Green that ended up signing with the G-League.

Rivals also sees Livingston as one of the top players in all of high school hoops, independent of class.

“The best basketball prospect from Akron since, well, the best player in the world: LeBron James. Livingston looks to have anything you could want in an elite-level two guard. He’s bouncy, he can shoot with range, he creates off the dribble and he’s already known for going off on ridiculous scoring binges. He plays off of instinct and will be truly scary as he learns to slow things down and let the game come to him a little more.”

That’s big praise. We’ll see if Livingston can live up to the hype, but expect Kentucky to stay hot on his heels going forward.

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