4-star KJ Greene says Clemson and South Carolina are among schools standing out
KJ Greene came in at No. 84 in the recent 2024 On3 150 update. The 6-foot-3 point guard led his Atlanta (GA) Pace Academy team to a 25-7 record, averaging 11.6 points and 6.5 assists per game.
“I’m becoming a complete player, a true two-way guy,” Greene told On3. “I’ve shown I can do the offensive stuff, I can shoot it, score, get my teammates involved, but I’ve been really focusing on the defensive side, staying locked in there. My pace has gotten more consistent, too.”
On3 caught up with KJ Greene after a recent live viewing to talk about his recruitment.
Greene talks recruiting
“I haven’t taken any visits yet,” Greene said. “I’m talking pretty regularly with South Carolina and Clemson about setting up visits. Charleston wants me to come on one as well.”
Clemson: “They had a great season last year, got snubbed from the Tournament. The way they let Chase (Hunter) play, he had a good season, and they developed him, and he was a big part of their success. Seeing young guards contribute to their success and winning. You saw the results on the court.
“Coach (Brad) Brownell says he likes my pace and tells me that I play the right way. He likes that I can get my shots when I can but get my teammates involved too.”
South Carolina: “It’s my hometown, and they’ll always have that. They just signed Collin (Murray Boyles) and Arden (Conyers), who are two of my former teammates that I grew up playing with. We have a natural chemistry there.
“We’ll see what they do this season. This is Coach (Lamont) Paris’ first recruiting class at South Carolina. So It will be interesting to see what they do. Watching him last year and even a little back when he was at Chattanooga, he lets his guards play. From Meechie (Johnson), he almost had 40 when they beat Kentucky; you got to let your guard have some freedom to put up numbers like that. And then Malachi (Smith) at Chattanooga. Watching their games, I can see a lot of similarities between me and them. Coach Paris, you know, he gives his point guards a lot of freedom in the offense.”
Charleston: “The culture there stands out. The coach, Pat Kelsey, is an energy guy. You see him on Twitter; he’s really engaging. I really like his personality. The assistants, they all just have a lot of personalities down there. It feels like you’re not just talking to a coach, but you’re talking to a person.
I love the way they play too. Their whole team plays really hard. They like to shoot the ball, and they let their guards play with freedom.”
In His words
“The new staff at Georgetown is in contact,” KJ Greene said. “I’m recently hearing from Florida State and Florida, too, so we’ll see where those go.”
“I might try and take one official in June, but it’s going to be tight. I may just take them all after AAU ends in July. I’ll definitely want to narrow things down after AAU, I’ll know what all I have and where all I want to go see by then. I’m thinking I want to sign early, but I’m not sure yet. No exact plans there yet.
“I’m looking for a place I can thrive. I want a school that isn’t strictly basketball but also has some academic merit to it. Those are the two main things. The relationship I have with the coaching staff will be huge too. Got to have trust and a relationship with the coaches.”