For the second time in the last couple weeks, Memphis, Tenn. based point guard Curtis Givens III has told reporters Indiana wants to get him on campus this summer or fall for a senior year official visit. So we thought we’d take a closer look, and share a few things Givens told The Daily Hoosier about Indiana as well.
The latest update on Givens came via Jamie Shaw of On3. Givens told Shaw he’s been to Georgia Tech on an official so far, and he has another scheduled to LSU. Beyond those, he’s talking to IU, Memphis and Texas about scheduling a visit. UConn and Villanova round out his top seven schools.
The 6-foot-3 Givens is teammates at Montverde with a trio of 5-stars Indiana is recruiting in the 2024 class — Liam McNeeley, Asa Newell and Derik Queen.
Indiana offered Givens in April, and he included the Hoosiers in his final seven schools a month later. According to the On3 Industry Average, Givens is a 4-star prospect, the No. 50 overall player in the 2024 class, and the No. 6 point guard.
WHAT GIVENS SAYS ABOUT IU BASKETBALL
The Daily Hoosier caught up with Givens in his hometown of Memphis during the Nike EYBL Circuit stop there. He averaged 16.9 points and 3.6 assists playing for the MoKan Elite this spring and summer.
TDH – You placed Indiana in your top seven soon after they offered. What stands out about them?
Givens – With Indiana, the culture and the fans really stand out. And the coaches, with how they let their players play. But mainly, how they produced Fino (Jalen Hood-Schifino), who was also from Montverde.
TDH – What was the buzz at Montverde as Hood-Schifino started to put together a strong season at Indiana?
Givens – (Montverde) Coach (Kevin) Boyle, he was talking about Fino every day, saying he wasn’t necessarily the best player when he came to Montverde, but he went to work every day and has a great work ethic. Coach Boyle sometimes compares me to Fino with my personality and my work ethic, so I think that can take me a long way.
Note: Givens says he thrives in a high ball screen offense similar to what is utilized by both Montverde and Indiana.
INDIANA’S 2024 POINT GUARD TARGETS
Along with Givens, Indiana’s main group of 2024 recruiting targets includes at least four other players who could be considered a primary ball handler — Boogie Fland, Jaeden Mustaf, Dylan Harper and Travis Perry.
It will be interesting to see how the staff prioritizes them.
Because of their ability to shoot the ball, you could easily put Givens and Fland in the combo guard category, meaning at least on paper they could function as complementary pieces in a backcourt, although the staff might want more length from a backcourt duo.
Mustaf is a bit more of a Hood-Schifino type of guard — he’s got good positional size and is very good at getting to the rim and scoring in the mid-range, but still with work to do as a shooter.
Perry probably also fits that combo description, although he’d likely be best utilized as a two.
Harper is getting a lot of Rutgers and Duke buzz right now. If Indiana could somehow land him, he’s a guy you could fit in a backcourt with any of the above because of his complete repertoire.
Indiana is also after multiple pure 2024 shooting guards — Austin Swartz, Annor Boateng, Rakease Passmore and VJ Edgecombe — who could be paired with any one of these point/combo guards to form a strong class.
Ultimately, IU has a several solid backcourt prospects they are after in 2024, and multiple combinations of two of them would help form the foundation of a strong class. We’ll see where things go with Givens.
For a complete look at Indiana’s main class of 2024 targets, GO HERE.
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