HOOVER, Ala. — Mingling around one of the basketball courts a few minutes before the second day of games were set to begin on the Adidas circuit Friday morning stood a couple of folks wearing University of Kentucky gear.
It’s not too out of the ordinary to see UK shirts at a basketball event, no matter where you are. But — with few fans yet in the building — the “BBN” shirts did look a little out of place in the middle of Alabama.
Turns out, those wearing the blue and white were relatives of Chris Livingston, an Ohio native, a major Kentucky recruiting target, and one of the best basketball prospects in the 2022 class. One of the women sporting UK gear was Chris’ aunt, Lisa Livingston, who ran track for the Wildcats in the ’90s and still lives in Lexington.
That’s a pretty good tie for Kentucky to have as it pursues one of the nation’s top recruits.
“It could play a role in it,” the star player acknowledged. “But not too big of a role. I’m just trying to go where I know I’m going to be the best of my ability at.”
Livingston — a strong, athletic, 6-foot-6 perimeter player from Akron — is the No. 5 overall player in the senior class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He was one of Kentucky’s first major targets for 2022, and he’s clearly still a priority for the Wildcats.
When this evaluation period tipped off Thursday morning, John Calipari made sure the first game he watched was the one featuring Livingston. The UK head coach and new assistant Chin Coleman got seats in the first row for that one. With Calipari and Coleman recruiting elsewhere in the country Friday, it was top UK assistant Orlando Antigua who made Livingston’s game his first stop of the morning.
“They’re really involved in my process,” Livingston said of the Wildcats. “I really liked going on the visit and how they treated me. The things I saw on the visit — the campus — Coach Cal, all the coaching staff, they’re really involved in my recruitment right now.”
Livingston took an official visit to Lexington last month, accompanied by several of the family members that were in the gym Friday morning. Players and families are restricted by NCAA rules from prolonged interaction with college coaches at these shoe company events, but Livingston’s grandfather and aunt made a point to get Antigua’s attention and say hello in his direction.
On the court — and after a rough debut Thursday morning — Livingston looked the part of a top-five national recruit Friday, using his blend of power and skill to get buckets from all three levels. As a junior this past season, he averaged 31.1 points, 15.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 4.7 steals and 4.0 blocks per game and earned First Team junior All-American honors from MaxPreps.com. He’s long been ranked as one of the top five players in his class.
“He’s just an absolutely explosive athlete,” 247Sports analyst Travis Branham told the Herald-Leader recently. “He’s strong. He’s physical. And when he’s attacking downhill — given that athleticism and strength — he’s a force to try to stop.”
Livingston described himself as a strong downhill player who can get to the rim at will, a prospect with good ball-handling skills, a nice shot off the dribble or off the catch, and a two-way player who can lock in on defense. He showed flashes of all of that Friday morning, including the shooting ability — knocking down a step-back 3-pointer just a few feet from where Antigua was standing.
“Once he gets a bit of a rhythm and turns it on, he can really take over a game. On both ends of the court,” Branham said.
The buzz surrounding Livingston’s recruitment has changed over the past few months.
Earlier in his high school career, it was assumed by many in recruiting circles that Livingston would never play college basketball. At one point, it looked like players from his 2022 class might be able to jump straight from high school to the NBA draft. That’s no longer the case, but several intriguing professional options have popped up over the past couple of years.
Livingston said Friday that he’s still looking at the pro route. He specifically said the G League and the Australian-based NBL have reached out to him. He’d likely command something approaching seven figures — perhaps exceeding that amount — if he did jump pro.
But college is on the table, too.
Livingston took official visits to Kentucky and Kansas last month, and he said he has additional official visits scheduled for Memphis, Georgetown and Tennessee State once the July evaluation periods end. Coaches from all of those schools have watched him this week.
A big reason that college basketball is now in the cards is the emerging possibilities that come with reforms to the NCAA’s name, image and likeness rules, changes that will allow players to make money while retaining their college eligibility.
College coaches are limited in what they can say and promise to recruits regarding NIL possibilities. They can’t arrange specific deals for athletes, but they can sell their program in a way that those possibilities become clear to recruits and their families.
Livingston said part of his UK official visit included a meeting that did just that, highlighting Kentucky’s vast and rabid fan base, the NBA-level media coverage surrounding the program, and the Wildcats’ placement on national television throughout their season.
The star recruit was clearly impressed by the pitch.
“I think it kind of evens it up for colleges,” he said. “I think it plays a big role.”
Even if Livingston does go to college, Kentucky will have stout competition.
Memphis is the school that might have the most momentum in his recruitment. There’s been substantial talk in the recruiting world — both coming into the summer and during this week’s event — that the Tigers will be the team to beat if Livingston goes the college route.
He didn’t mention any specific favorites Friday, however, and — despite all of that Memphis buzz — there are zero predictions on Livingston’s Crystal Ball page.
The attention Kentucky showed to start this evaluation period should make it clear the Wildcats think they’re still right in the thick of this recruitment.
“I know it’s a high-level blue-blood. I know all the history,” Livingston said. “I know about Coach Cal and his history. With name, image and likeness — they have some of the best fans in the country. I know a lot about Kentucky. I’ve been following Kentucky since I was younger. Being that my auntie is from Kentucky, I always paid attention to them.”
