Livingston Speaks on Duke Decision
When it all came down to it, Shaun Livingston based his college choice on an educational standpoint. From the classroom to the court, the 6-foot-7 point guard said Duke was able to offer more learning experiences.
Livingston, who is the best college bound player in the country, said he spent the most time thinking about the next level – the NBA – and how each school would help him get to the highest ranks of roundball.
Advertisement
“When I thought about everything, I just felt like I had the best relationship with Coach K,” Livingston said. “I think he can teach me the things that will help in the NBA preparation. The style Duke runs is something that I’ve really looked at and I think that it will get me ready the fastest.”
After considering Illinois, where he took a last minute unofficial visit last weekend to look at the program’s new offense, Livingston compared the pros and cons between the ACC and the Illini’s home conference.
“The Big Ten is more physical and slowed down so I felt that I needed to go to a school where I could flourish in my game,” Livingston said. “I know the NBA is physical but the ACC isn’t a soft league. But I felt that Duke gives me the best chance to improve the draft position that I may be in.”
With all of this talk of the NBA, will Livingston make the jump from Peoria Central HS to the league instead of going to Duke? Don’t count on it. The floor general said he’s certainly playing with an end goal in mind. Only time will tell when he decides to play with the pros.
“However long it takes me to get to my dream is when I’ll go,” Livingston said. “If it takes one year, so be it. If it takes four years, so be it. We’ll just have to see. I’ll go when I feel that I’m at my highest draft position.”
Livingston said he wanted to be secure in his relationship with his head coach. With Duke, Coach K made sure the two understood each other on and off the court, which was refreshing for the 18-year-old.
“I felt the most stable in Duke’s atmosphere,” Livingston said. “I felt that I had a better bond with Coach K. When it came to it, his experience was hard to argue against.”
Livingston, who is number two on the Rivals150, finalized a strong recruiting class for the Blue Devils. He teams up with DeMarcus Nelson, 17 on the Rivals150, and David McClure, 68 on the Rivals150.