6-4 KJ Greene of Blythewood and Pace Academy in Atlanta has been focused on his team during these winter months, and he was just named the Player of the Year in his region after averaging 18 points and eight rebounds per game. Due to his schedule, he hasn’t been able to go out much for visits, though he did get to USC for a game in early January.
Greene did visit USC and Clemson during the football season as well, and both programs have remained very active with him from a recruiting standpoint. He said he’s also been talking a lot with the College of Charleston, Ole Miss, Georgetown, SMU and Rice.
“It’s a lot of building relations with the coaches right now,” Greene Said. “Seeing what everybody is doing during the season, talking to them, building a connection, see how they are and see what they are like. Watching the teams play, seeing how they play, their style of play, and looking and seeing what style best fits me.”
From USC, Greene said he and assistant coach Eddie Shannon communicate regularly.
“He’s talking to me about how the team this year the record may not show, but they are in a rebuilding phase,” Greene said. “Right now, it’s not going to be all up. They’ve got to get everybody on the same page and everybody use to what they are doing. They talk to me about their style of play fits my game, how when they get players like me and like Collin Murray-(Boyles), who is coming in the next class, how that fits more of their style of play and how that will help the team. Showing me clips of their playing style and some of their players from last year, like Malachi Smith who went to Gonzaga and showing me how he played in their system and talking to me about the similarities between my game and his game.”
Greene said the Gamecocks have put themselves in a good spot with him at this point.
“I really like them. I like the coaches,” Greene said. “Coach (Lamont) Paris, he’s a great guy, very cool and laid back. Coach Eddie is another cool, laid back guy. I really like the program. It’s always the hometown, so that always holds a place in my heart. It gives them a little pull no other school really does have. And my teammates from AAU, Collin and Arden (Conyers), they both committed there, and the familiarity there playing with them since I was a kid, to see them going there, so I feel they are very high on my list right now.”
From Clemson, Greene said he hears regularly from head coach Brad Brownell and Director of Recruiting Lucas McKay.
“I talk to a lot of them, a lot of different coaches text me on a week to week basis,” Greene said. “I went to their game in Atlanta (vs Loyola Chicago) and watching them play, they allow their point guards have a little bit of freedom. They let their point guards score when they see fit and let them get them in the offense when they see fit also. With them, they’ve been telling me their style of play and sending me clips of their point guard, Chase (Hunter), just showing me how he plays within their offense, how he can score, get his while also getting his teammates involved, which is something I do very well. With them, it’s them showing me they are becoming one of the powerhouse schools in the ACC and how I can help keep that trend going.”
Greene added that Clemson will be in the mix with him as he begins to wind down the process in the coming months.
“They are also really high on my list,” Greene said. “Especially seeing how they are playing this year. Coach Brownell told me before the season they were trying to make that push to become one of the top ACC teams. He hasn’t lied. He’s been proving it through their play. Really seeing them being about what they talked about, playing how they told me they play. So, they are really high on my list.”
Greene made one of his junior year official visits to Georgetown last October Some of his other offers include Mississippi State, Harvard, Missouri, UMass, Georgia, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Dayton.
