photo by: Journal-World illustration

University of Kansas basketball recruiting

The Kansas men’s basketball program’s summer is set to heat up dramatically this weekend, when one of the top players in the 2022 recruiting class makes an official visit to campus.

Chris Livingston, the No. 4-ranked prospect in the class according to Rivals.com, is scheduled to make KU his first official visit of the summer.

A 6-foot-6, 190-pound small forward from Akron, Ohio, Livingston is regarded by many as the best player out of Akron since LeBron James. He first began receiving scholarship offers to major colleges at the age of 14 and has only seen his stock rise since then.

Not surprisingly, James has played an important part in helping Livingston’s development, serving as a mentor of sorts for the talented prospect for the past couple of years.

“He’s really opened up doors for me that I didn’t have before,” Livingston said in a recent feature by Jacob Polacheck for Zagsblog.com. “I still view him the same as how I did as a kid. I look up to him. He’s a role model. It’s kind of the same for me.”

KU offered the talented wing a scholarship in May, shortly after he completed his junior season at Buchtel High by averaging 31 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks per game.

“Physically, he’s just stronger and more athletic than his peers,” wrote Dan McDonald of Rivals.com after a recent AAU tournament in Atlanta. “He has deep range on his shot and he can bully his way to finish in traffic.”

Speculation about Livingston’s future has been all over the place. Some believe he could make a jump straight to professional game and skip college altogether. Others believe he has certain schools in mind and has for a while. And still more think the G League route, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, could be next for the Akron star.

However, according to Polacheck’s feature, the five-star prospect has made no such decisions.

“I’ll consider every option in my recruitment process and as far as the next level goes,” he told Polacheck. “I haven’t really been rushing anything, but I’m always thinking about my future, always looking ahead and looking forward to what’s to come.”

Recently named the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year, Livingston will play his AAU ball this summer with the “We All Can Go All-Stars.”

Livingston’s visit will be just the start of a busy month for the KU coaching staff, which has flipped it into high gear now that the dead period has been lifted.

Other prospects who recently have announced plans to visit KU include:, five-star Class of 2023 forward Omaha Biliew (6-8, 205 Waukee, Iowa) on June 12; four-star combo guard Nick Smith Jr. (6-5, 175, Sherwood, Ark.) June 21-22; four-star point guard Jayden Epps (6-1, 170, Suffolk, Va.) on June 28; four-star forward Zuby Ejiofor (6-8, 220, Garland, Texas) on June 23; four-star forward Aidan Shaw (6-8, 190, Blue Valley) June 17-18; and three-star shooting guard AJ Storr (6-6, 200, IMG Academy) June 28-30.

Class of 2022 KU commitment Gradey Dick, a 6-foot-7 wing from Sunrise Christian in Wichita, also plans to visit KU on Thursday.