Connect with us

BB RECRUITING

Rivals holding Coen Carr back from borderline 5-star status

Rivals needs to do a quick update.

Published

on

Coen Carr
© Michael Caterina / USA TODAY NETWORK

According to essentially every recruiting database, Michigan State signee Coen Carr is a fringe five-star recruit.

Coen Carr is a freak. The 2023 Michigan State signee is known for jumping out of gyms and winning dunk contests, but he should also be known as a recruit who doesn’t get enough respect.

Michigan State fans have been excited about him ever since he committed last summer and he was the perfect addition to a class that had Xavier Booker, Jeremy Fears, and Gehrig Normand. He was one of the most anticipated athletes to commit to, and sign with, Michigan State.

Although some believe his game needs to add a consistent jumper before he truly can be considered elite, I think he’s just about there.

Highlights of him shooting from mid-range and deep have surfaced and he looks like he’s been working on that jumper. Recruiting rankings have acted accordingly, for the most part.

On Wednesday, ESPN released its final 2023 ESPN100 and Carr came in at No. 24 which was second to only Booker (No. 15) in the Spartans’ class. Fears is No. 26 and Normand is unranked.

He’s now a fringe five-star on 247Sports (No. 42), ESPN (No. 24), and On3 (No. 24).

That got me thinking, how the heck is Carr still only No. 53 in the 247Sports Composite? It makes no sense with ESPN, 247Sports, and On3 all high on him.

Well, turn your attention to Rivals — the only recruiting database that isn’t high on Carr.

In fact, Carr is ranked just No. 91 on Rivals which hasn’t been updated since January. Maybe that’s going to be the difference between Carr being 53rd in the Composite and him sitting somewhere in the top-40.

You have to wonder when there will be another update and if Rivals is going to give Carr the respect he deserves. He’s not the 91st-best recruit in the country. Carr is easily a top-40 prospect.

It wouldn’t be a Spartan recruit without a little batch of “disrespekt” included.

BB RECRUITING

Michigan State basketball prioritizing 5-star SG Isaiah Elohim

Elohim would be a heck of a 2024 addition.

Published

on

Michigan State basketball
© Andrew Jansen/News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

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 Hoopsit 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.

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.

Continue Reading

BB RECRUITING

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

Coen Carr is a freak.

Published

on

Coen Carr
© Michael Caterina / USA TODAY NETWORK

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.

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.

Continue Reading

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

on

Michigan State basketball
© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

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.

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.

Continue Reading

Trending