MSU basektball recruiting

[johnny2x2x]

If all stay committed this is a really strong class. Nice variety like the Winston, Bridges, Langford, Ward class.

It's a great class, 3rd best in the country right now. And Izzo does a good job of mixing the class up with different talent levels for NBA early leave. Booker is probably a 1 and done, but Fears is at least a 2 year player. Carr is raw, but a 2 or 3 year payer. And Normand is a 4 year player who will develop and be a good player by year 3 or 4.

Fears is special as a leader, he's a stronger and more athletic Cassius. Really think he can be a guy who can maybe get Izzo his 2nd title.

 

[Spartanmack]

If all stay committed this is a really strong class. Nice variety like the Winston, Bridges, Langford, Ward class.

Something to look forward to as the next season, possibly 2 could be rough. Maybe next year we can get some front court help through the portal.

 

[gotime909]

Something to look forward to as the next season, possibly 2 could be rough. Maybe next year we can get some front court help through the portal.

Unless Kohler is the real deal I agree about this year. Gonna find out right away too. Got Gonzaga and Kentucky right out of the gate.

 

[Spartanmack]

Unless Kohler is the real deal I agree about this year. Gonna find out right away too. Got Gonzaga and Kentucky right out of the gate.

Here's to hoping - but he looks like he definitely needs to add some size to play in the B1G. If he's ready to contribute, won't we still be pretty thin up front? Hauser, Hall & Sissoko. Hopefully Sissoka has figured out how to cut his fouls down to less than one per minute otherwise he's half a player at best - less because he offers nothing on the offensive end.

 

[johnny2x2x]

ESPN updated their rankings, Xavier Booker went from out of the top 100 to 3rd overall. Composite not updated yet, but he will be a composite top 5 player overall.

He's ranked 1st overall by Rivals, 3rd overall by ESPN, 6th overall by 247, and 12th overall by On3. Probably one of the 3 highest ranked guys Izzo has ever landed. Only Zach Randolph was probably higher.

 

[gotime909]

Torbert was top 5 in 2001.

 

[johnny2x2x]

Torbert was top 5 in 2001.

They didn't have a composite back then, but Torbert was 7th on one site and higher on another. Paul Davis was top 3 for a while, but I think dropped to 10th or so by the end.

Booker is a 1 and done. I'm almost more excited about Fears as he'll be here at least 2 seasons and I think he's quite underrated as it is.

 

[johnny2x2x]

Booker is now the composite #3 recruit in the country. Might be Izzo's all time top ranked recruit. Zach Randolph was ranked 11th on one service, 1st on another.

Booker is 6-11 now, with a 7-4" wingspan. He's got a more polished game offensively than Jaren Jackson Jr. Pretty jump shot and decent handles. Defensively he's a rim protector who can also switch onto guards and stay in front of them.

 

[johnny2x2x]

Xavier Booker signed his LOI this morning. Fears and Normaand are signing this afternoon. Carr is signing Friday.

And with that, MSU has secured the 3rd best class in the country.

Edit: Carr signed this morning.

 

[boogerlovejoy]

Xavier Booker signed his LOI this morning. Fears and Normaand are signing this afternoon. Carr is signing Friday.

And with that, MSU has secured the 3rd best class in the country.

Edit: Carr signed this morning.

According to 24/7.....Booker is the highest ranked player to ever sign with MSU (since ranking existing, obviously).

 

[Spartanmack]

According to 24/7.....Booker is the highest ranked player to ever sign with MSU (since ranking existing, obviously).

I wonder where he would stand in overall rankings at dook or kentucky.

edit: and I wonder if Izzo is going to play him less than Sissoko and Carson Cooper (or whoever the new Kenny Goins could be) his freshman year - he doesn't have a great track record handling 5 star big men.

 

[johnny2x2x]

Both Jeremy Fears and Xavier Booker made the McDonald's All American roster. Fears has seen his stock rise and is now a 5 star, really an elite PG who we will love here. Think a super athletic Cassius Winston with more size who's an elite on ball defender too. Could be great here and the best PG talent we've brought in since Mateen Cleaves. Not saying he's going to have a career as good as Winston, but he's that type of PG leader and playmaker.

Booker is more of a project, probably a Jaren Jackson type guy as a freshman, also probably a 1 and done. Fears is more of a 2-3 year player, but his athleticism makes him an NBA PG though even at only 6-1.

 

[Spartanmack]

Both Jeremy Fears and Xavier Booker made the McDonald's All American roster. Fears has seen his stock rise and is now a 5 star, really an elite PG who we will love here. Think a super athletic Cassius Winston with more size who's an elite on ball defender too. Could be great here and the best PG talent we've brought in since Mateen Cleaves. Not saying he's going to have a career as good as Winston, but he's that type of PG leader and playmaker.

Booker is more of a project, probably a Jaren Jackson type guy as a freshman, also probably a 1 and done. Fears is more of a 2-3 year player, but his athleticism makes him an NBA PG though even at only 6-1.

how about we wait and see if you and your experts are as wrong about Fears as you were about Aikins and about 10k other recruits.

Akins is the type of good sized and Uber athletic PG we haven't had here in a long time. He transferred to Sunrise Christian and backed up the #1 PG in the country, so his role was different than it would have been anywhere else. He's a pure PG, a facilitator, and a plus defender. He's going to come in like Gary Harris did as a defender, he's lock down from the start. His shot is OK, but he's not a great shooter yet. I see him as a 10-12 minute guy with maybe a bigger role as the season goes on. Izzo will play guys that can defend though.

Akins is a top 55 recruit. Plays on the best high school team in the country and practices and plays against other D1 players daily. He's 6-3 or closer to 6-4, 185 lbs right now and can really jump and finish around the basket both dunking and with an array of tough layups.

When's the last time we had a PG who could do this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFWBs0kucS4

Seems odd that Booker would be considered a project - doesn't every recruiting service have him in their top 3 or better?

And neither had permission to commit to MSU in the first place. Both were odd out of the blue commitments that the staff weren't even told were going to happen.

Booker is a guy the staff talks to everyday, they pushed hard for his commitment and there's nothing odd about this one.

Some mocks have Booker as the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, he's that talented. And the comparison is Anthony Davis.

 

[Spartanmack]

I just looked up Aaron Henry - how does a guy go through the evaluation process re: whether or not to leave early and declare for the draft then go undrafted? Dude ended up in France faster than Johnny Adams was in Canada...

somebody really f'd that up - did Izzo and company tell him he was ready or did they tell him wasn't good enough and he declared anyway? Given how badly they handled Deyonta Davis, I'm inclined to think it was the former.

 

[gotime909]

Good luck to Fears being on Bronny's team.

 

[Spartanmack]

Good luck to Fears being on Bronny's team.

I guess chicago is in the west now. I looked it up, his high school is 1,183 miles closer to MSG than the Staples Center. Makes about as much sense as when the Red Wings were in the Western Conference.

 

[johnny2x2x]

2024 4 star SG Kur Teng commits to MSU. #37 player in the country. 6-4, 185 lbs, really good athlete, but he's an elite shooter. Might be the best shooter in the class.

Izzo has done a really good job historically of landing players like Teng, who is very talented, but probably not a 1 and done talent. Teng is a 2-3 year player. So are Fears and Carr in the 2023 class. Booker is probably 1 and done on potential alone, but you've got a good mix.

 

[Spartanmack]

Why has Booker dropped so much in everyone's rankings? I just noticed this but I assume it happened awhile ago - did he have a subpar senior season? He's not in anyone's top 10 and fell all the way to 16 in Rivals after being #1. ESPN has him at 16 as well.

He's still the 3rd best recruit MSU has had since the composite rankings era and the class has got to be the best with 3 kids in the top 12 all time MSU recruits (Booker, Fears & Carr)

 

[gotime909]

Jason Richardson's kid committed yesterday for the 24 class. Top 35 4 star guard. Richardson, Teng and McCulloch are all athletic kids. Add them to Booker and Carr from the recent class and it could lob city in east Lansing. Also looks like they have a shot at 5 star Bryson Tucker to finish the 24 class. He's a 6'6 wing that can also fly.

 

[Spartanmack]

Good genes - if he?s half as athletic as his old man, it?s a solid get. Hopefully Booker isn?t a one-and-done.

The two handed reverse put back jam against Arizona in the NCAA tournament is one of my all time favorite Spartan highlights.