Breaking down Michigan State signees’ McDonald’s All-American performances

Tuesday night, Michigan State had two signees competing in the largest showcase for high school players, the McDonald’s All-American game.

High school’s top 24 recruits competed in the annual McDonald’s All-American game with the East team beating the West, 109-107. The annual matchup between the East and the West has seen countless eventual all-stars at the next level and beyond. Let’s look at how the soon-to-be Michigan State freshmen played during their time on the court.

Xavier Booker, the higher-ranked of the two signees representing Michigan State on Tuesday night, found himself in the starting lineup for the East. It can be difficult to stand out when you are surrounded by the nation’s best, and it seemed at times that Booker was lost in the shuffle. In 14 minutes of play time, Xavier would finish with just three points, a putback and a free throw, to go along with three rebounds.

Even if his performance wasn’t eye-popping, the 6-foot-10 center’s extreme length and ability to run the floor was on full display. Each possession, Booker was streaking down the court getting to his spot on the block, an attribute that I’m positive Tom Izzo and Co. were delighted to see.

The other Michigan State signee participating in the All-American game was point guard Jeremy Fears. Coming off the bench for the West, Fears garnered much praise and interest from the broadcast team when checking into the game. The four-star is expected to join the likes of Mateen Cleaves and Cassius Winston as one of Izzo’s best point guards.

Though Fears also had a quiet night, his command for the game was apparent. Even while sharing the court with the No. 1 point guard in the country and MVP of the West, Isaiah Collier, Fears still acted as floor general when given the chance. While his shooting wasn’t on display, finishing 0-5 shooting, Fears was able to show his vision by recording four assists, most of which came in impressive fashion.

Jeremy Fears already looking like a seasoned MSU PG. Absolute dime of a half court lob to a cutter for a quick bucket after a make pic.twitter.com/3Mj8YlqGnn

— ˢᵉᵒᵘˡʲᵃᵃ (@Seouljaa) March 29, 2023

Transitioning from your high school team where you are the go-to player, to sharing the court with two dozen other top recruits can lead to an off performance or simply getting lost in the shuffle. For the Michigan State signees, both were able to find some success on the court to showcase their abilities, but remained on the quiet side.

Outside of a few players, this was definitely the norm amongst most of the top recruits. Still, what the two of them were able to do during their time on the court was a great sign of things to come for the Spartans.