The 2024 4-star prospect will take visits to LSU, Texas, Indiana, Villanova and Memphis. The LSU visit is happening in late July, while the visits to Texas, Indiana and Villanova are set for the fall. Givens is saving his Memphis visit for last.
2024 4⭐️ Curtis Givens III tells me that he plans to take a visit to LSU in late July. He also plans to visit Texas, Indiana and Villanova in the fall.
Givens will be saving his last visit for HC Penny Hardaway and Memphis.
— Hitmen Hoops Scouting (@HitmenScouts) July 5, 2023
All five schools were included in Givens’ top seven list back in May, the other two being UConn and Georgia Tech.
Givens’ Rise in the Rankings
Givens, who plays for Monteverde Academy (Fla.), is one of three priority high school targets for Memphis in 2024. The other two are Naas Cunningham and Billy Richmond III, though Memphis’ chances for the latter look slim at this point.
The 6-foot-3 guard has shot up the national ranks in recent months. Givens went from No. 87 to No. 52 in 2024 on 247Sports’ rankings. On the 247Sports composite, he went from No. 74 to No. 57. MADE Hoops, which updates its rankings after each AAU session, lists Givens as the No. 47 recruit in the class.
Givens is currently having a fantastic season for Mokan Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit. He’s averaging 16.9 points, 3.3 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game this summer while shooting 44% from the field and 35.2% from three-point range.
Givens on Memphis
Givens and Mokan Elite were in Memphis for Session 4 of the EYBL season back in May. While there, Givens spoke to the media about the possibility of playing for the Tigers.
“[Memphis] has been pretty aggressive. They call me almost every day, telling me how much they want me to be a Tiger. So, it’s just a blessing,” Givens said. “Coach Penny [Hardaway], he’s a great coach. He was a great in the league, and he’s a point guard coach. So, I say that stands out to me [about Memphis] other than being in the hometown.”
Givens also said that “the whole city” has been pushing him to go to Memphis.
“All the University of Memphis fans, they’ve been commenting on my social media, telling me ‘Come and be a Tiger. We would love you here.’ So, that’s always great,” Givens said.
Though it’s too early to pin anyone as a favorite, Memphis seemingly has a good chance to land Givens. The 6-foot-3 guard is a former MUS star, and his father is a notable entrepreneur in the Memphis area. Besides, it likely isn’t a coincidence that Memphis is his last visit.
With Memphis fans poaching him more than perhaps any other fanbase—plus those other factors—the hometown pull just might be too much for Givens to deny.
Senior Editor for Tiger Blueprint. See more of my work on Bluff City Media, where I’m the Memphis basketball beat writer, the Men in Hoodies podcast on Apple and Spotify and on “Sports with Roman Cleary” live on University of Memphis Radio—The ROAR Fridays from 3-4 p.m. during the fall and spring.
