USC basketball coach Lamont Paris will take advantage of the big football game Saturday in Columbia between the Gamecocks and Georgia to bring in two of his 2024 targets for unofficial visits. 6-2 Elijah Crawford, a native of Augusta who attends Legacy Early College in Greenville, and 6-4 KJ Greene, a native of Blythewood who attends Pace Academy in Atlanta, will be among the recruits on hand for the game.
Crawford also has offers from Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Wichita State, SMU, Xavier, Boston College, New Mexico State and Georgia State. He visited Georgia State last weekend and visited Georgia in June.
Greene has been a frequent visitor to USC and has become one of the top targets in the class for Paris and his staff.
“I talk to them almost every other day,” Greene said. “They talk about me staying home and how they are building something special down in Columbia. It’s a new wave and they want me to be a part of it.”
And the day might come next summer when Greene, indeed, becomes part of the Gamecock program.
“I mean, I like them,” Greene said. “They are definitely up there at the top of my favorite schools right now recruiting me. The hometown school always has that pool. They just got GG Jackson. And on the football side, they got Spencer Rattler, so they are bringing in high level recruits. They are raising the bar for their program, and I’d like to see how they perform this weekend.”
Greene has other visits planned. He is going to Ole Miss next weekend, Clemson October 1st, to Georgetown for an official visit October 13th and to Mississippi State unofficially November 5th.
Clemson coach Brad Brownell and his assistants have made a concerted effort to land Greene as well after watching him last summer.
“Clemson talks to me about how they like the way I play,” Greene said. “Over the summer they watched me a lot and they feel like I would fit very well in their system. They’ve got somebody I’m very well acquainted with in Josh Beadle. He talks to me a lot about how they changed his shot and how they implement him in the offense. With them the pull is having that connection with me and Josh and having somebody there that I’ve already seen and know who he is. I know he’s a good guy and he won’t lie to me. Seeing him there and seeing him flourish, it’s a good opportunity.”
With that in mind, Greene also has the Tigers up on his list.
“I think they are up there at the top, too,” Greene said. “They are recruiting me hard. It’s a nice school, nice athletic facilities.”
Greene said he was expecting coaches from Clemson and USC to visit this week. Ole Miss and SMU coaches have already been in. He plans to wait until after his AAU season next summer to make his decision.
