Chris Livingston Q&A

Credit: Photos By Ferris

In a 2022 high school class full of intriguing prospects with impressive physical tools, Chris Livingston has been a staple among the top of the rankings since they started coming out. Right from the beginning of his high school career at Buchtel High School (OH) he was a huge scorer, leading to his representing the USA in the FIBA U16 Americas. Livingston took home both the Gold Medal and won the MVP of the tournament. These past two seasons at Western Reserve Academy (OH) as a sophomore and then back to Buchtel this past season, Livingston has averaged over 30 points per game while excelling at the other aspects of his game.

With good wing size, along with plus-athleticism and strength, Livingston has worked a great deal on his shooting. Known as the highest-rated prospect out of Akron since LeBron James, he appears to have learned a few things from his mentor in terms of energy and intensity on the court. He averaged over 4 steals and blocks per game this past season. He also has a strong ability to get to the basket off the bounce and do damage off the ball. He’s clearly taken a page out of the pro players he has been around and has spent lots of time training and working on his game.

The blue blood schools have kept a very close eye on him for a while, though it seems his recruitment is quite open, even with his love for the close-to-home Ohio State Buckeyes. Playing for We All Can Go (TN), the hope this summer is to get back to playing more of the top-ranked national players and maintain his ranking, if not build on it. With a strong family presence, including his twin brother and teammate in Cordell, Chris Livingston relishes the process and has certainly made some very positive strides to stay near the top of the class.

In this interview, we discuss Chris Livingston’s family background, his work ethic, mindset and approach, his professional basketball mentors, keeping recruitment options open, and much more.

For the next installment of the Pro Insight Q&A series, we present 2022 prospect Chris Livingston, from Akron, Ohio:

Pro Insight: How did you get to where you are today?

Chris Livingston: I have a really tight-knit family and I’m close with the people within my circle. Have always been close with my grandparents, my mother, my brothers, and my sisters. I have a twin brother as well as two older brothers and two older sisters. Was raised by my mom. I’m from Akron, Ohio, was born and have grown up in Ohio. My grandmother got me into sports and got me playing basketball while my grandfather really helped me along the way. Not with just being a grandparent, but getting me into training, connecting me with people as far as AAU goes, helping me and my brother reach the next level since we were little kids in middle school getting into high school. As far as my high school journey goes, I started off at Buchtel High School on the west side of Akron, it was really major picking that school. I think it was good for the city, us reaching the final four in the state playoffs [that season]. I think that was a really good accomplishment of mine and a great memory that I’ll always remember. My journey didn’t stop there as I went to West Reserve Academy for one year, my sophomore year. It was a really good experience there, but after that I came back to Buchtel High School. I just finished my junior season by making it to the regional finals. That’s a summary of my basketball life leading up to this moment in time. So that’s where I’m at right now.

PI: Aside from your brother and grandfather, any other athletes in your family?

CL: Yes, my sister ran track, my aunt broke records at the high school I’m currently at with track. She was an amazing athlete and went to Kentucky. My older brother played football and my other older brother wrestled. A lot of my family are athletes and it’s something that runs in the family. Not so much basketball, but mostly track. We all were into track to be honest.

PI: Do you play any other sports?

CL: Just basketball, but when I was younger I really fell in love with football. My mom didn’t really let me play it because of the injuries and things that can happen playing the sport. I really used to like football more until basketball, but as time went on I started running track and playing basketball. I was playing basketball and track at the same time, but track season is around when AAU is in the spring so that’s when I had to cut it off and just stick to basketball.

PI: When did you stop doing track?

CL: I stopped at a young age. Around 6th grade is when I stopped doing track because it started getting deep into basketball, AAU, and understanding other top players in the country are traveling and playing AAU. So I didn’t have time for track, but I did spend that summer running with the track team because I went to their practices to help me with my conditioning. I would never have time for the meets because they were on the same weekends as my tournaments so after that year is when I stopped running track.

PI: Which events did you do?

CL: I was fast. I was good at track. I ran the 100m, 200m, 400m, and the 800m. I never really got into running the mile or anything like that, but I was pretty fast when I was younger. I did a little track and field, I can’t really remember all of the field events, but I know I did some high jump and long jump. But I was an athlete ever since I was younger. I did a variety of races, but not the super long distances ones.

PI: What made you fall in love with basketball?

CL: I can’t really explain it, but the people I looked up to and watched when going to games when I was younger...it was just cool to me. It was fun. When I played it, it was always fun growing up. I would be at my grandparents house just watching NBA games and watching highlights. I would get so inspired and just want to have fun and go in the backyard and try to shoot on the hoop because I would see them doing the things that I would really like to do. Basketball has always been something that I love and have always enjoyed. I don’t know if there was a specific moment that made me fall in love with it, but it’s always something I’ve been used to since I was younger and it’s developed over time.

PI: What are your current measurements?

CL: I’m 6’7” 210 pounds. I don’t know my current wingspan.

PI: Where do you get your height from?

CL: My dad was pretty tall, but he wasn’t super tall, I think he was like 6’3” or 6’4”. I know I have some tall cousins, but sometimes it’s God-given. I don’t really have a lot of people in my family that’s 6’7” or 6’8”, but God blessed me with my physical frame and who I am.

PI: You’re a power athlete as well — are other members of your family similar?

CL: Yeah my dad played football, I know that. My brother wrestled and played football and my other brother played football and went to college for it as a DI athlete. It definitely runs in the family. My grandfather boxed and played football also.

PI: For those that aren’t super familiar with your game — what are your greatest strengths?

CL: My greatest strengths, I would start with my motor. I feel like my motor allows me to do a variety of things on the court and adds to my versatility as a player. I’m very aggressive and very athletic and I can shoot it too, so that really opens up my game. Being able to score at all three levels, you’re always a threat no matter where you’re at on the floor. Always giving the coach a headache on the opposing tea