BB RECRUITING

Michigan State Basketball: Is the 2023 class the best in program history?

This class is going to be fun.

Published

1 month ago

May 6, 2023

Daily MSU

Michigan State basketball signed the No. 4 class in the nation for 2023. Is this the best class in program history?

Tom Izzo is once again working his magic, this time on the recruiting trail. The Michigan State basketball legend has always been able to recruit some of the best athletes out of high school and has a history of putting together some elite classes. The 2023 class is no exception.

After many wondered if the game had passed Izzo by, he is once again showing why he is one of the best ever both on and off the court. The 2023 class is No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 4 in the country, behind blue-bloods Kentucky, Duke, and UConn.

Having one of the best classes in the country is nothing new for MSU, but how does this class rank all time compared to other great MSU classes?

Michigan State’s 2023 class consists of four elite players, headlined by five-stars Xavier Booker and Jeremy Fears. Four-star Coen Carr has shot up the rankings recently and is ranked the No. 31 prospect in the class, making him a fringe five-star prospect as well. Rounding out the class is another four-star Gehrig Normand who is ranked No. 118 in the country.

Where do these recruits stack up on the all time MSU list? This class has three of the top 11 recruits in program history, which says a lot considering all the great players MSU has had the last two decades.

Booker leads the class and comes in as the third-best prospect in program history, one spot ahead of Spartan great Miles Bridges. Jeremy Fears and Coen Carr slot in at spots 10 and 11, respectively, with Gehrig Normand rounding out the class at No. 44, one spot ahead of fan favorite Tum Tum Narin Jr. On paper, this class is no doubt one of the best in program history, but does any other class rival it?

The 2016 class is the class that MSU fans point to when talking about the best in history. This class also had four prospects including two five-stars in Miles Bridges and Joshua Langford. This class also had Spartan legend Cassius Winston as well as Nick Ward. All four of these athletes rank in the top 25 all time in program history with Bridges No. 4, Langford No. 9, Winston No. 17 and Ward No. 25.

The 2016 and 2023 classes are very close, but I think 2016 still edges 2023, on paper. The 2016 class also is one of the more decorated classes in program history, winning three straight Big Ten regular-season titles and making a Final Four. Will the 2023 class find similar success on the court? That is yet to be seen, but all signs point towards the class getting off to a fast start in year one as the Spartans are favorites to win the Big Ten and make a run to the Final Four this year.

I would argue that, on paper, the 2023 class is the second-best in program history since recruiting rankings began.

At the end of the day, however, none of this truly matters as results on the court are the only thing that matters. The 2023 class has a tall task in front of them if they want to exceed the success the 2016 class found, but the star power is there for them to accomplish it.

How good of a start is the 2024 class off to? The two commits in the class, Kur Teng and Jesse McCulloch, rank No. 15 and No. 49 all time. Izzo does have his eyes set on some recruits who would rank top 10 in program history, so if he has anything to say about it, this class could rival both the 2023 and 2016 class the best ever at MSU.

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BB RECRUITING

Xavier Booker “relentless” in recruiting 4-star guard Jase Richardson

The incoming freshman wants Jase Richardson to join him in 2024.

Published

1 day ago

June 5, 2023

Connor Muldowney

Michigan State freshman and five-star Xavier Booker has been “relentless” in his pursuit of Jase Richardson.

With all of the 2023 class freshmen arriving on campus, it feels only right that Michigan State fans look ahead to the 2024 class.

Tom Izzo just landed arguably his best class ever, headlined by Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears, Coen Carr, and Gehrig Normand. He’s now aiming to land an equally impressive 2024 class that currently has four-stars Jesse McCulloch and Kur Teng committed.

One of the top targets left on the board is a legacy recruit: Jase Richardson.

The son of Spartan legend and NBA star Jason Richardson has spoken highly of Michigan State over the past year and he even took an official visit back in October. Since then, he’s garnered a ton of interest from major programs including Alabama, Arkansas, San Diego State, USC, and Virginia. He’s weighing his options.

At the recent Pangos All-American Camp, he spoke with 247Sports’ Brandon Jenkins about his recruitment and he said that he is planning officials to Alabama and Cincinnati.

He also said that one Michigan State player is “relentless” in his recruitment: Xavier Booker.

The five-star big man from the 2023 class has apparently been doing some recruiting of his own, per Jenkins’ interview with Richardson.

“Every coach calls me every other day. I like the culture there. Everybody there is family. Xavier Booker has also been relentless in recruiting me.”

Surprised to hear this? A lot of people might be considering Booker was widely considered by Spartan fans to be a one-and-done prospect. Some experts, however, believe that he could be a 2-3 year type of player based on his frame and raw skills. Patience has been the word used by some recruiting experts regarding Booker.

As for the recruitment of Richardson, it’s cool to see that a highly-regarded player like Booker is putting in work to get Jase to Michigan State. You don’t often see that. Who wouldn’t want a five-star and top-10 player in the country to say they want to play with you?

This could be one heck of a recruiting tool for Izzo.

Richardson told Jenkins that he plans on committing before his season starts in the fall. He’s the No. 44 overall recruit and No. 7 combo guard in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.

BB RECRUITING

Michigan State basketball prioritizing 5-star SG Isaiah Elohim

Elohim would be a heck of a 2024 addition.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 24, 2023

Just Another Sports Fan

Michigan State basketball is one of six schools reaching out the most to five-star shooting guard Isaiah Elohim.

In a tweet from 24/7 High School Hoops, it was recently revealed that Michigan State basketball, among five other programs, is showing plenty of interest in highly-ranked shooting guard Isaiah Elohim from California.

2024 5⭐️ Isaiah Elohim is one of the top players in the ‘24 class. He told me he’s hearing the most from these schools lately:

UCLA
Kansas
Arkansas
Kansas State
USC
Michigan State

He tells me he’ll be looking to start setting up visits in the coming weeks. #11 in the ESPN100. pic.twitter.com/4jTXncDCJL

— 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) May 23, 2023

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Elohim isn’t an athletic freak like Coen Carr, but has excellent size, speed, and athleticism regardless. He also has a good shot and excels at scoring the ball from around the court. It’s easy to envision him being the kind of guy in the future who can drop a flurry of jumpers and take over a game.

Elohim is currently attending Sierra Canyon in Los Angeles, Calif. This is big-time basketball school that has produced plenty of NBA talent, including Kenyon Martin Jr. and current Detroit Piston Marvin Bagley. It’s also the same school that Bronny James attended. The fact that Elohim was able to excel at such a prestigious basketball school (against excellent competition) gives me plenty of confidence that he can translate to the next level.

Tom Izzo will have to beat out other big-name programs such as Kansas, UCLA, Duke, Kentucky, and Baylor (who have also reportedly been showing interest) for the top-20 ranked shooting guard. Michigan State just capped off a top-five ranked class for 2023, but keeping the recruiting hot streak going for 2024 would be massive for the program. The more five-stars you have, the more five-stars you get — talent wants to play with talent.

Look for a visit to be scheduled soon.

It might be time for Izzo to land his latest five-star.

BB RECRUITING

Coen Carr throws down incredible free throw line dunk (Video)

Coen Carr is a freak.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 21, 2023

Daily MSU

Coen Carr flashed his elite athleticism once again, throwing down a dunk from the free throw line this weekend.

Incoming MSU freshman forward Coen Carr has displayed his extreme athleticism all offseason. It seems like every week a new video surfaces of him doing something mindboggling.

Today’s highlight shows Carr dunking from the free throw line.

Coen Carr taking off from the FREE THROW LINE 🤯 (via daddyharden/TT) pic.twitter.com/R8U8OKK5qP

— Overtime (@overtime) May 21, 2023

This is something that most NBA players can’t even do but Carr looks like he is able to do this with ease and had the whole gym rocking in the video.

Coen Carr is one of four players joining the Michigan State Basketball program this season, joining five-stars Xavier Booker and Jeremy Fears as well as four-star Gehrig Normand. According to 247Sports, he is the No. 31 player in the class and No. 7 at his position. Carr was not always ranked this high, but his ranking skyrocketed during his senior season as he vastly improved his game.

Michigan State’s 2023 class is one of Tom Izzo’s best ever. The Spartans class is No. 4 in the country and is the best in the Big Ten. Each freshman will be ready to play day one and will mesh perfectly with the returning players.

What will Coen Carr do next? My guess is we won’t have to wait too long to see his next high-flying dunk shock the internet. He’s going to tear the roof off of Breslin next year.