South Carolina Basketball: 4-star Gamecock target, SC native, reopens recruitment

South Carolina basketball fans might remember the name KJ Greene.

Greene is a Columbia native who finished his high school playing career as the point guard for Pace Academy in Atlanta. He is rated as a 4-star prospect by both ESPN and Rivals and is ranked as high as the 79th-best player in the class of 2024. An Adidas All-American, Greene is a good scorer and facilitator of the basketball.

South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris had the Gamecocks in Greene's final grouping before he made a commitment to the UCF Knights over USC, Georgetown, Siena, and Florida State. However, on Friday, Greene reopened his recruitment.

Greene is a steady point guard who can shoot the basketball and hit open teammates. His length and effort show that he has a high upside on the defensive end, as well. He lacks elite athleticism, but he is a smart player who gets the job done with size and smarts on the court.

At this point, it is unclear if South Carolina basketball will get involved again in Greene's recruitment, but with the departures of Ta'Lon Cooper (graduation) and Meechie Johnson (transfer portal), the Gamecocks need help on the perimeter next season, especially from guards who can run the offense.

USC is in on Tennessee-Martin transfer guard Jordan Sears, and Lamont Paris' program was named in his top-6 on Thursday. Other transfer portal guards like JP Pegues, a former Furman Paladin, are on the Gamecocks' radar, as well, as they search for suitable replacements for Cooper and Johnson.

In the class of 2025, the Gamecocks have a score-first point guard committed in the form of top-100 prospect Eli Ellis, and there have been rumors that Ellis is considering reclassifying to the class of 2024 (rumors that Ellis, a social media maverick, plays up online).