BB RECRUITING

Michigan State basketball: Ideal finish to 2024 recruiting class

If MSU finishes with these guys, watch out.

Published

2 months ago

April 4, 2023

Connor Muldowney

Michigan State basketball landed Kur Teng on Monday and is on commit watch again. But what would be the 2024 class’ ideal finish?

Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball kicked off their 2024 recruiting class with a bang on Monday afternoon as top-40 junior Kur Teng picked the Spartans over Providence and Rutgers.

Not only was that just the perfect way to start the class, but it also may set off a domino effect much like Xavier Booker’s commitment did last summer. He committed in late July and both Gehrig Normand and Coen Carr followed suit.

Michigan State still has a few highly-rated guys left on the board, but which remaining targets would make up the ideal finish to the 2024 class?

1. Bryson Tucker, 5-star SF

If I had to pick one prospect who I see as Michigan State’s “ideal” addition in 2024, it would have to be five-star small forward Bryson Tucker.

The 6-foot-6 wing has a smooth jumper that reminds me of Max Christie and his frame is also similar. He plays with a calm demeanor, but is aggressive and he fits the Izzo mold. Tucker is a high IQ player and just looks like a future Spartan.

The five-star has one visit in mind for sure this year, and that’s to East Lansing to check out Michigan State. That has to be a good sign, right?

2. Flory Bidunga, 5-star C

The nation’s No. 1 center is interested in Michigan State and Izzo just paid him a visit last week for one of his games. Flory Bidunga is ranked the No. 3 prospect in the entire 2024 class and he would be a nice get for Michigan State basketball.

OK, he would be an elite get.

Bidunga is your prototypical center who can bruise in the paint and be physical on both ends of the floor. He would be a nice transition player following Mady Sissoko’s graduation and he could fit right into that starting lineup immediately. Just imagine if Booker comes back for a second season, the post of him and Bidunga would be unreal.

I feel like this recruitment is far from over, however.

3. Aiden Sherrell, 4-star PF

I’ve been a big fan of Aiden Sherrell for a while now and while it just doesn’t feel like he’s going to end up as part of Michigan State’s 2024 class, I still see him as a “best-case” addition at power forward.

Sherrell has taken two official visits and one was to East Lansing to check out the Michigan State basketball program. The other was to Alabama which is the program that I see being the leader in his recruitment. Landing him over Nate Oates would be massive, however.

The four-star power forward is ranked the No. 43 overall prospect and sixth-best at the position in his class, per the composite, and he’d bring the perfect amount of post athleticism to MSU.

4. Jesse McCulloch, 4-star PF/C

Last, but certainly not least, would be Jesse McCulloch who I think has a better chance to commit to Michigan State than Sherrell.

I do think McCulloch may be a better fit in East Lansing with his ability to stretch the floor and play at a high level on both ends. He can shoot the three while also playing with his back to the basket and a post scoring threat is something Michigan State has been sorely missing.

McCulloch makes his decision on April 20, he announced on Tuesday.

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BB RECRUITING

Michigan State basketball prioritizing 5-star SG Isaiah Elohim

Elohim would be a heck of a 2024 addition.

Published

1 week 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.

BB RECRUITING

Michigan State basketball makes top 7 for 4-star PF/C Tyler McKinley

MSU and Ohio State are the only Big Ten teams to make the cut.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 15, 2023

Connor Muldowney

Michigan State basketball has made the cut for one of the top 10 centers in the 2024 class, four-star Tyler McKinley.

Michigan State basketball is in the running for one of the top centers in the 2024 class as four-star Tyler McKinley released his top seven schools on Monday afternoon.

2024 4⭐️Tyler McKinley just released his Top 7. Here are the programs he’s considering:

Xavier
Ohio State
Virginia Tech
Cincinnati
Michigan State
Alabama
Tennessee

McKinley is an active, two-way forward who is a solid rebounder and good defender. #72 in the ESPN100. pic.twitter.com/9cDirxTS8f

— 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) May 15, 2023

McKinley, originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, is currently playing high school ball in Missouri and has become one of the top 10 centers in the 2024 class. He’ll be choosing between MSU, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Alabama, and Tennessee. That’s quite the mixed bag as there are SEC teams, Big Ten teams, an ACC team, and some prominent local teams from where he grew up.

Tom Izzo will have to fight hard for this commitment.

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound center is ranked No. 60 overall in the 2024 class and he’s the 10th-best at the position. With his frame, he may translate more to a power forward at the next level and he could complement Jesse McCulloch in the post.

McCulloch also projects as a power forward so this would be an interesting target for Izzo if he were to make a heavy push here.

Flory Bidunga is likely the Spartans’ top center target in the 2024 class, but it looks like Indiana has a lead there while Cincinnati is also in the running.

Michigan State’s 2024 recruiting class currently ranks No. 10 in the nation after landing McCulloch and four-star wing Kur Teng this spring. Adding another top-60 recruit to the class would just be another sign that Izzo still has it and he’s not “washed” like some rival fans claimed a year ago.

McKinley doesn’t currently have a visit to Michigan State scheduled, but I’d assume that he sets some officials before making a final decision.

I’d expect the 2024 Michigan State basketball recruiting class to be three or four players deep.