Standing at 6’7” with a wing span around 6’9”, unsigned senior Josh Livingston can really shoot the ball at a high level.
At this point in the year, the early signing period is over and colleges are resetting their recruiting boards. Typically bigs are a hot topic as there are only so many to go around, especially the bigs that are skilled. North Myrtle Beach’s (SC) Josh Livingston doesn’t pass the look test but once the ball is tipped, with the way he shoots it, he far surpasses any kind of play test given.
With the way the new rules are at the collegiate level, there is a real premium being put on players who are able to put the ball in the basket. Through 4 games this season Livingston has scored 24, 11, 23, and 26. That is good for an average of 21 per game. On the final day of the Shootout by the Sea Holiday tournament, he finished the game with 6 threes.
Positionally, Livingston is your conventional stretch 4, hybrid 3 man. He is more athletic than he looks, which can be a bit perpetuated with the length he has. While he is almost automatic when he gets a clean look, he can also put the ball on the floor and finish, both at and above, the rim.
At this point, Livingston (who is qualified) doesn’t have much recruitment going on. To no fault of his, he just has not been seen by many. While the tide is shifting, Horry County has not traditionally produced a high level of talent so not many coaches make their rounds in the gyms. Over the summer, he played on a local AAU team, so not venturing too far to be featured in any events.
Livingston is a player D1 schools should take a close look at, especially those schools who put a premium on bigs being able to stretch the floor. Without question, he is a scholarship guy, and D2s should be fighting to keep the D1s from falling in love with him.