Livingston staying focused amidst early hype

KETTERING, Ohio -- Though he is just a freshman, Akron (Ohio) Buchtel guard Chris Livingston is already becoming a big name in basketball recruiting. The 6-foot-4 prospect dropped in a game-high 19 points in a 60-59 loss to Dayton Chaminade-Julienne on Sunday at the Flyin' to the Hoop Invitational.

Having so much attention around him as a freshman has been a unique experience for Livingston and after a tough loss, he was still in a very positive mindset.

"It has been a (learning) process but it has been good," said Livingston after his game on Sunday. "We have five losses, but we're not trying to think about that right now. We're just trying to put it all together by the end of the year."

The buzz around Livingston has been going strong for several months now and first started on the AAU circuit. Livingston is thankful for the praise that has been heaped upon him so early but knows it doesn't mean anything if he doesn't keep working.

"It has given me a lot of exposure," he explained. "But I have to use that to my advantage and play as hard as I can every time that I play."

Livingston has maturity beyond his years and has done a good job of blocking out the noise that can come with the hype and expectations.

"I just try to be a leader at all times, even as a freshman," he said. "I'm trying to be the leader of the group and just trying to play hard and be the hardest worker."

The early exposure has led to an offer from Ohio State. Buckeye assistant Ryan Pedon watched Livingston on Sunday.

"It was great," he said of picking up an early offer from Ohio State. "It's like a hometown school to me so it was great to get an offer from them. I'm pretty open so I'm just going to wait and see what other offers come to me."

"It just means I'm doing things right," he continued. "I want to keep working hard on my game and getting more offers."

Livingston is already an above the rim player and showed off a good mid-range jump shot on Sunday. He's continuing to work on rounding out his game.

"Ball-handling definitely," he said, of the things he is focusing on. "Being a better point guard and having better leadership skills, just stuff like that."