Kentucky lands five-star Chris Livingston
John Calipari is riding a massive wave of recruiting momentum these days. Things on that front continued to compound on Wednesday, when the legendary coach’s Kentucky program secured the commitment of five-star forward Chris Livingston. Below, Rivals.com has a look at what the Wildcats are getting and how the news relates to the bigger picture.
WHAT KENTUCKY IS GETTING
Livingston comes with a broad-shouldered build and incredible strength for a wing. Few players in the country score the ball better inside, as Livingston has the motor and physical gifts to be an absolute bully under the basket. He’s capable of shooting the ball from the outside, but will look to become more consistent on that front down the road. The five-star's strength, toughness and athleticism give him some interesting defensive versatility, as he’s able to defend most positions on the floor. He’ll reach his potential as he becomes a more consistent outside shooter and continues to refine his touch around the rim when he isn’t dunking, which isn’t often at the high school level.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE WILDCATS
Kentucky’s quest to assemble a superclass of sorts continues with the addition of Livingston. The No. 8 player in the country joins No. 1 Shaedon Sharpe as well as No. 21 Skyy Clark on the Wildcats 2022 commitment list, and Calipari isn’t done just yet. UK has its sights set on the nation’s top haul and could very well orchestrate a scenario that sees five of the top 25 players in the country descend on Lexington. Still on the board for UK are No. 3 overall prospect Dereck Lively and 10th-ranked Cason Wallace. Wallace, who is considered a UK lean, is set to announce his choice in November. Lively seems like less of a sure thing, but the Wildcats remain among the leaders to snag his pledge as well. Things are falling into place for the famed program despite last year’s nightmare season, which suddenly seems to be light years in the past.
IN HIS WORDS
"Coach Chin (Colman) has been calling me almost every day. ...They've been sticking with me, being hard on me, expressing that they really want me, and things like that. I appreciate them for not taking their foot off the gas." -- Livingston to Rivals.com’s David Sisk last month.
“The legacy and the culture [at Kentucky] is a lot different than other college basketball programs. Seeing how they go about winning, their fan base, and things like that. They definitely separate themselves in some ways from other colleges." -- Livingston to Rivals.com’s David Sisk last month.