The senior basketball class of 2024 is shaping up to a great one.
Two of its members – Curtis Givens III and R’Chaun King – are shooting up the recruiting charts. Both are sophomores at Memphis University School.
The dynamic duo played on The Skill Factory AAU under 15 basketball team this season.
The Atlanta-based Skill Factory has a prep school and post-graduate school for basketball. The pair was united to the team by Allen Gibbs, director for the AAU program.
The Skill Factory played recently in the Peach Jam Classic, a Nike basketball-sponsored event considered the best AAU tournament for all age groups.
The Skill Factory is coached by Reggie Dixon. And in its first Peach Jam, the team won the National Championship.
The 66-60 victory over Team United of Charlotte, North Carolina was sweet for Dixon, a former coach for Team United.
King scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Givens III played well, scoring 11 points.
A 6’6,” 230-pound forward built in the mode of Charles Barkley, King is athletic, works from the low post and can score off the dribble.
He also has a decent mid-range jumper. He has been a model of consistency and can be penciled in for a double-double every night.
Givens III is the engine that drives the train. He can take over a game at any point. His team-oriented focus has led to success not only for himself, but the development of his teammates. Now he has a championship that can be the foundation to build a legacy.
Givens III is a six-foot point guard, who can score from all levels. He is a heady player and is always poised and under control, Dixon said. Givens is the son of super Memphis promoter Curtis Givens Jr.
This is the second straight season that a Memphis basketball player has won a national championship. King and Givens III follow in the footsteps of Kennedy Chandler, the freshman playing at the University of Tennessee. Chandler won the championship while playing for MoKan out of Kansas City in 2019. The tournament was cancelled last season.
The duo has attracted the attention of college recruiters. Both have received offers from the University of Memphis and some power-five schools.
The Skill Factory played nearly 70 games this season and only lost six times.
The Givens-King duo will return to MUS to make a run for a state championship.
