Illini, Duke, 4 Others Like Livingston
Shaun Livingston, a gifted 6-6, 170 pound point guard from Peoria Central H.S. in Peoria, Ill., is looking at just six colleges this spring.
One of the elite players in the Class of 2004, Livingston helped Ft. Sooy to the title of the American League division of the Charlie Weber Philadelphia Easter Hoop Fest. He scored 18 points in the Ft. Sooy's title game victory over Raleigh's Finest in the title game.
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Livingston told Rivalshoops.com that he is looking at Illinois, Duke, Kansas, Arizona, Florida and Louisville. Of the schools on his list, he has unofficially visited Illinois. In fact, he watched the Illini defeat North Carolina back in December in Urbana-Champaign.
Perhaps the most interesting dynamic in Livingston's recruitment has been the Kansas-Illinois situation. We spoke to Livingston on Saturday, just two days before Bill Self left the Illinois to take over the Jayhawk program.
"I have to say that I can't count Illinois out if Coach Self leaves," Livingston said. "It's my home state and I like them, so I will just have to wait and see who they hire."
As for Kansas, he said that Roy Williams' hasty departure from Lawrence just days after losing in the NCAA title game didn't sour him on the Jayhawk program.
"I guess it was a good move for him," Livingston said. "If that was his dream job, you can't blame him."
Hiring Self, who certainly has a strong relationship with Livingston from his two years in Illinois, certainly won't hurt the Kansas cause.
As of last week, Arizona, Illinois (Self's staff) and Florida were in to take a look at Livingston. Louisville was slated to come in this week and take a look at the lanky floor general.
Despite signing top 2003 point guard Mustafa Shakur, the Wildcats have made a strong pitch to Livingston.
"I like their style of play," he said. "Lute Olson is a great coach, and he uses a lot of guards in the rotation. This year, they played both Jason Gardner and Salim Stoudamire, and they're 6-0 guards. So playing time isn't a concern there."
Florida, which had a pair of very talented freshman guards this year with Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh, is another appealing situation for Livingston.
"Billy Donovan is a good coach and I like the way that they play," Livingston said. "My younger sister lives down there, and so does my uncle."
Strong coaches are a dominant theme on Livingston's list, and it's a major reason why he likes Louisville.
"I've always liked Rick Pitino," he said. "If he was at Kentucky, I would like them. They get up and down the court, and he gets his guys to play hard regardless of the talent level."
The one school that has been a bit of a mystery to Livingston is Duke. Blue Devils Asst. Coach Chris Collins visited Peoria in the fall, but he said he doesn't know how hard they are pursuing him this spring.
"They have been on and off," Livingston said. "I haven't talked to them, but they are interested in me."
Livingston had a terrific junior season at Peoria Central, where he averaged 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals per game.
In the classroom, Livingston said he has a 2.3 GPA and took the ACT for the first time on Apr. 12.
Ft. Sooy will attend several tournaments over the next few weekends, including trips to this weekend's Kingwood Classic in Houston and the Spiece Run N Slam Tournament in May.
Rivalshoops.com will keep you posted on Livingston's recruitment throughout the spring and into the summer, so stay tuned.