Michigan State basketball: Positive recruiting update for 5-star Bryson Tucker

Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball may have gotten some good news regarding Bryson Tucker on Thursday afternoon.

Michigan State basketball is flying high as they just took down Mississippi State in the first round of the NCAA tournament 69-51. The Spartans are marching on and will take on 1-seed North Carolina in the second round on Saturday.

This game alone is enough cause for celebration, but what if I told you the Spartans got some good news on the recruiting trail as well?

Five-star Bryson Tucker recruiting update

Michigan State may be focused on the NCAA Tournament and recruiting the 2025 class right now, but there is still one big fish remaining in the 2024 class. Bryson Tucker is a five-star forward from Virginia who Izzo has been recruiting hard for quite some time now. Tucker is the No. 20 player in the country according to 247Sports, so he would be a huge get for the program this late in the cycle.

Tucker announced a top three of Michigan State, Kansas and the NBA G-League Ignite at the end of January. However, the Ignite is no longer an option according to NBA insider Shams Charania.

Sources: The NBA is shutting down the G League Ignite team after this season, canceling the development squad of elite draft prospects and veterans that launched in 2020.

Full details at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/7KAYBVX1lI

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 21, 2024

Tucker no longer can play for the Ignite now that they are shutting down after this season.

According to 247Sports reporter Justin Thind, the potential for the Ignite to shut down is what dragged out his recruitment.

Perhaps one reason why 2024 five-star MSU target Bryson Tucker has dragged out his college decision for so long.

He’s been deciding between Michigan State, Kansas & pro options, and there had been whispers of a potential G-League Ignite collapse for a while now. https://t.co/PzS8Xa0KBq

— Justin Thind (@JustinThind) March 21, 2024

What’s next for Bryson?

Bryson doesn’t have much time left to decide where he wants to play basketball next year. The final college basketball signing period ends May 15, so he will need to make his final decision by then. Kansas and MSU are still in the running, but he still has other pro options on the table as well. This includes Overtime Elite and the NBL Next Stars program.

Tom Izzo has gone all out in pursuit of Tucker, but it’s still unknown who the leader for him is. At one point it was thought the Ignite were his frontrunner, so this is a huge development for MSU’s chances.

No decision date has been set yet, but we shouldn’t have to wait much longer. The Spartans are a great option for many reasons, but none more than the playing time available next season. Tucker likely will end up as a one-and-done before moving on to the NBA, but I would love for him to have that one year be in East Lansing.