NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 7 teams for 4-star PG Curtis Givens
UConn Huskies
The reigning national champions are going to be very appealing for class of 2024 and 2025 prospects like Givens, especially since there’s going to be plenty of potential playing time. Whether he’s back from the NBA Draft process or not, senior guard Tristen Newton won’t be with the team a year from now. And guard and leading passer Andre Jackson likely won’t be back either in the future since he’s a possible first-round pick.
UConn does have incoming four-star prospect Solomon Ball joining the team, a top-50 guy. And while Givens could certainly compete with him, what are the chances that the Huskies can add a five-star guy after its recruiting boost from the title? It’s an option that this recruit may have to wait on to see who the program is targeting in the coming months.
Villanova Wildcats
The Wildcats are in “win now” mode based on the incoming transfers, including TJ Bamba and Hakim Hart. They join returning star guard Justin Moore, who is in the last year of eligibility. How good the team is may depend on the team’s lone true point guard, Mark Armstrong. He has the chance to be the clear ball-handler for the next couple of years.
If that happens, Villanova may not look as appealing for someone like Givens, who’d have to either settle for backup minutes or play mainly off the ball. Or, he could get a chance to run the offense himself a year from now if Armstrong just isn’t up to the task.
Overall, Memphis, Indiana, and Texas are the teams that have definite playing time for Givens, while the others are in the “wait and see” category. There’s a long time before things will get more clear but right now, the local Tigers may be in the driver’s set for this particular target.