Michigan State basketball: Cam Ward’s commitment quote is perfect

Michigan State basketball fans got some good news on Tuesday night when four-star Cam Ward committed to the Spartans.

The forward slides in just ahead of recent commit Jordan Scott as the top-ranked player in the Spartans’ class. He’s ranked No. 50 nationally on 247Sports and Scott is right there at No. 52. A class that sat at zero and was ranked last in the Big Ten is now No. 20 in the nation after picking up a couple of top-60 commitments.

Tom Izzo is getting the job done like he always seems to do lately on the recruiting trail.

Following his commitment on Tuesday night, Ward spoke to Joe Tipton of On3 and gave some insight on his decision. He explained why he chose Michigan State over Kansas State and Maryland and he gave one of the best quotes you’ll see from a recruit.

“I’d be a fool not to go play for Coach Izzo.”

NEWS: 4⭐️ Cam Ward has committed to Michigan State, he tells @On3Recruits.

“I'd be a fool not to go play for coach Izzo.”

The 6-7 Small Forward chose the Spartans over Maryland, Kansas State, Virginia, and others. Ranked 55th in the 2025 class.

Ward goes in-depth on his… pic.twitter.com/pV1ZTOx4yB

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 22, 2024

Ward was talking about how he wants to get coached up and the one guy he knows will do that is Izzo. He also spoke about the time Izzo got hip surgery and then went to go watch Ward play in person a couple days later and said that “I gotta find something to do with my time, why not come watch you”.

It’s clear that Ward loves Izzo and what he stands for and playing for a coach like him who puts players before himself is important. He called Izzo a “legendary guy” and said that he gets people where they need to be. Ward also mentioned the patented Izzo “tough love” that we always see.

Michigan State got a good one in Ward who isn’t afraid to be coached and is willing to put in the work to become one of the best at his position. He wants to get to the NBA one day and he feels like Izzo is the guy to get him there.

In his own words, he’d “be a fool” not to play for Izzo.