Syracuse basketball PG target poised to jump into rankings, offers balloon

As major recruiting services publish their initial 2024 rankings, and then later expand them, Syracuse basketball target Curtis Givens III is likely to jump into these national rankings, according to some experts.

Givens, a 6-foot-2 point guard in the 2024 cycle, is a sophomore who attends the Memphis University School, a prep school located in Memphis, Tenn.

According to his bio on at least two recruiting Web sites, Givens is garnering interest from the Orange, along with many other high-major programs.

Per a review of various recruiting services, along with Givens’ own Twitter page, his scholarship offers to date include from Ole Miss, recruiting juggernaut Memphis, Maryland, Georgetown, Illinois, St. John’s and Florida.

Syracuse basketball is showing interest in elite point guard Curtis Givens III.

Besides his formal offers, big-time squads displaying an interest in Givens include Kansas, Houston, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt. That’s impressive, as Kansas is a blue-blood group and Houston made the Final Four this past spring, for example.

An NBA Draft evaluation of Givens was published not too long ago, and the evaluation has a lot of positive things to say about him. For one, Givens has good size and strength for a point guard.

He is quick and drives to the basket with precision. His shooting from the perimeter is excellent. And Givens reportedly is a versatile defender who can match up with opposing teams’ point guards and shooting guards.

Recruiting service Rivals.com recently unveiled its first player rankings for the 2024 class, and it included 40 prospects. While Givens didn’t make the initial top-40 cut, he is likely to get nationally rated down the road when Rivals.com expands its 2024 rankings, according to Rivals.com basketball recruiting director Rob Cassidy.

"Cassidy wrote in part about Givens, “The Tennessee-based point guard, who led his team to a Nike EYBL title this summer, comes with long arms and a quick pull-up jumper on which he can rely. He’ll need to mature as a distributor, but the gifted scorer has the tools to be a top-level prospect.”"

To date in 2024, Syracuse basketball coaches have offered five-star power forward Derik Queen and four-star forward Donnie Freeman. The Orange is also showing interest in big man Caleb Middleton, according to several media reports.