Recruiting Updates...

The Only Colors blog posted several recruiting updates from several subscription/pay sites. Here is a copy of the post and reader comments... [If you received this post via email, please go directly to the site to view videos - they won't appear in your email post.]

(Sorry for the lack of posts - hopefully, I can gear it up this summer...)
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Football 'Crootin Roundup Is Looking For Help In The Bible Belt

by ChrisVannini on May 17, 2012 12:30 PM CDT in Michigan State Spartans Football

Not many major updates on the recruiting trail over the past week, but the MSU coaches were looking to make inroads in several southern states.

(Small update: Joe Rexrode reports that QB commit Damion Terry has been given four stars by Scout and will be ranked when Rivals' list comes out. Here's the proof. Not bad for a kid who had no major offers before MSU)

Sunshine State ATH talks Spartans (24/7) - Four-star Florida prospect Lamar Robbins was offered by MSU last weekend. Robbins has notable offers from Louisville, Ole Miss and Pitt, but said West Virginia and MSU are two that stand out for him. MSU has grabbed a receiver from the Miami area in each of the last two years and is looking for more recruiting success in Florida.

MSU offer has OL talking visit (24/7) - Three-star Georgia offensive tackle J.P. Vonashek didn't know Mike Tressel was coming to his school when he was offered by the Spartans. MSU is a little late in the game, as Vonashek said MSU isn't in his top five, but he said he'll try to take a visit to East Lansing. The Spartans continue to recruit Georgia hard. Speaking of that...

MSU offers another from Peach State (24/7) - Three-star Georgia defensive tackle Jay Ellison was recently offered by MSU. Ellison has many SEC and ACC offers and said some of the SEC schools are recruiting him the hardest. MSU is still looking for some defensive line commits, and Georgia is home to several talented ones.

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MSU visited one of the top 2014 quarterbacks on Wednesday.

Allen Trieu@AllenTrieu

#MichiganState visited 2014 QB Drew Barker from Conner (Ky.) today
16 May 12
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Benenoch piling up offers (Rivals) - Your weekly update on Texas OL Caleb Benenoch. He recently received an offer from Auburn and is hoping to hear from USC and Ole Miss soon. It sounds like his parents have never been wild about him moving all the way up to East Lansing.

"I'm still committed to Michigan State," Benenoch said. "My parents still want me to keep looking, so the way we are going to handle it is visit a lot of schools and you know, my parents have to like the school just as much as I do. Academics are very important, they're going to like the schools like Texas, Texas A&M and Stanford because they're in the top 50 schools in the country as far as academics go."

If I was a parent, academics and the ability to see my kid play would be major factors, so you can't blame Benenoch's parents for feeling how they do. Benenoch has shown frustration with people questioning his commitment to MSU, but when you make statements like this, it's not hard to see why some people think he won't be signing with MSU when the time comes.

Now, back to the Midwest kids...

Delton Williams Checks In (24/7) - An update on Erie (Pa.) athlete Delton Williams. MSU remains No. 1 for him, but an offer from Ohio State could change things. Nothing really new, but there are some good quotes on how MSU is selling itself to Williams, including an opportunity for the defensive back to play some offense.

Michigan kicker could earn Spartan offer (Rivals) - JJ McGrath has been on MSU's radar for quite some time. The Macomb kicker has visited MSU a few times already, but it appears MSU may be close to offering him. SpartanMag reports MSU will look to add a kicker to the 2013 class. Having one of the top kickers in the country interested an in the state of Michigan could be a factor. McGrath's punting abilities also make him a desirable target.

Hicks talks new offers and MSU trip (24/7) - Ohio defensive back Darian Hicks still has MSU at the top of his list, even as offers from Pitt, Minnesota and Virginia have come. He will camp at MSU in June, along with camping at Ohio State at Michigan. This appears to be a situation where Hicks would pick MSU unless the Buckeyes or Wolverines make an offer. A tough spot.

Maryland DB names top six (Rivals) - In this video, Maryland cornerback Kirk Garner lists MSU among his top six choices. Penn State, U-M and Purdue also are in his top six. MSU is looking to add another defensive back or two, but have offers out to a lot of talented prospects, so the spots will go to whomever pulls the trigger first.

Flick looking hard at MSU (Scout) - Two-star Ohio offensive guard Ben Flick camped at MSU last summer and is hoping for an offer from them. He currently has offers from Buffalo, Marshall and Western Michigan. MSU found success with another lower-rated recruited out of Hamilton High School in Denicos Allen.

Mosley looking to visit (24/7) - Three-star Illinois athlete Darius Mosley has plenty of offers from Midwest schools. He doesn't know a ton about MSU, but a visit surely would help that. But there's a problem.

"I'm trying to visit Michigan State," Mosley said. "I don't have anyone to take me. I'm trying to visit there this summer."

That's how you know nothing fishy is going on.

Spartans want Jeppesen at camp (Rivals) - Three-star Portage lineman Nate Jeppesen has been an offensive guard for most of his high school career, but MSU and U-M want to see him on the defensive side. That could be enough for him to receive an offer from MSU. The Spartans are focusing on tackles more than guards on the offensive line and also need some defensive tackles in the 2013 class.

"Michigan State has said they like me a lot and they are just trying to figure out where I can fit in and get a scholarship offer."

Matt Morrissey is next in line (24/7) - 2014 Illinois safety Matt Morrissey has plenty of MSU ties. His father, Jim, played linebacker at MSU and his sister, Anna, plays on the MSU women's basketball team. MSU, U-M and Northwestern have shown the most interest thus far.

"I'm going to keep my options open, but I still am a Spartan fan right now."

Spartans reach out to Cali. DB (24/7) - Three-star California safety Brandon Arnold recently received an MSU offer and put the Spartans in his top five — which consists of some schools that haven't offered yet. Arnold isn't sure if he'll take a visit to East Lansing, but hopes to make a decision during his senior season.

Comments

Wow...back to back 11 Win Seasons is Starting to Pay off in Recruiting

I can’t recall MSU football ever making so many recruits top 5 or 6 all over the country. Even though we may not get most of these kids I think nationally we are starting to get taken seriously.

On a Seperate note I love how everyone thinks we are going to have a down year because of losing Cousins and our Receiving corps, but they forget that those kids were mostly 2 star recruits who coach D developed into the best class in MSU history. If this trend continues it’s going to be great to see this 3 and 4 star talent develop under Coach D!

by MSUMC25 on May 17, 2012 6:32 PM CDT reply


Speaking of football 'crootin


Hey, Joe! breaks that ’13 QB commit Damion Terry has just gone from unranked to 4* on Scouts, and will get rated on Rivals this month.

I think this goes to show two things: 1) Coach D & his staff have an eye for finding talent that is overlooked by other major programs, and 2) Other progams, and the recruiting services are both aware of that. Caleb Benenoch is of course getting all the love from his home region schools, which literally ignored him until he verballed with MSU, and now an unranked QB is debuting at 4 stars after committing here.

by MSUDersh on May 17, 2012 8:21 PM CDT reply


Cali?


Can’t remember the last time I heard about MSU going after a kid out there (then again, I don’t pay a ton of attention to recruiting stuff). This is pretty much exactly how I would want a coach to build a program and get recruits. Start local when you take over and work really hard to lay that groundwork. Then when it’s established, start reaching out to new areas. It’s a slow process, but we’re certainly starting to see some dividends.


"It was worth it. Every needle, every dose of medicine that I've taken. That's why you play the game. A chance to be on a Final Four team, a chance to win championships." Delvon Roe

by Ducking Delvon on May 18, 2012 8:19 AM CDT reply


Possible drawback however...


…is that the staff spends “too much” time recruiting out of state, and hurts the feelings of some local coaches. I think this happened a bit with JLS.


Scientists say the universe is made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. They forgot about morons.

by Spartan D on May 18, 2012 8:36 AM CDT up reply


Valid point


Though with the success Coach D has had, it should make more local kids be naturally interested. Also, I think JLS slapped himself in the face with his very zealous recruiting in the JuCo ranks. He ended up bringing in lots of older, experienced guys w limited remaining eligibilty, who expected to play right away. Which I imagine turned off kids who came into the program straight from HS

by MSUDersh on May 18, 2012 10:02 AM CDT via mobile up reply

Is the News from Camp Just Too Good to Be True?

The more you start to scour the media about the Spartans, the more you start to wonder if it's all just too much assumption. It sure is fun to read and think about some of the stuff coming true.

The first half of this blog post by former M-Live beat writer turned on-line columnist for MSUspartans.com, Steve Grinczel is one of many examples... I wish I had time to link them all together in one post, but all you have to do is visit BEATchUMps.com each day and go the daily links at the bottom of the page and select the articles you want to read...
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Grinz On Green Blog: Red-shirt freshmen Joel Heath, Jack Allen and Darien Harris have made great strides this spring. Joel Heath produced three tackles in the first spring scrimmage, including two sacks (11 yards). April 18, 2012 By Steve Grinczel, Online Columnist EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State's 2-92 combination could have opponents seeing double this fall. William Gholston may wear a kicker's number, but the 6-foot-7, 275-pounds defensive end doesn't look like any other No. 2 in the nation. Joel Heath sports a more conventional No. 92, but at 6-6, 277, "he's really a carbon copy" of Gholston, according to head coach Mark Dantonio. "That's a nice number over there, 92," Gholston said. "He's really an explosive guy. He's learning well, he's picking up the plays, he's playing pretty good. The sky's the limit for him, for both of us and the whole defensive line." Together, Gholston and Heath could give the Spartans their most maneuverable, most versatile, most unpredictable, most imposing rush tandem since George Webster (6-4, 225) revolutionized the roverback position by playing everywhere from defensive end to linebacker to safety, and Bubba Smith (6-8, 280), who terrorized edge blockers for MSU in the mid-1960s. Technically, Heath, who redshirted as a freshman, backs up Gholston, whose 16 tackles behind the line as a sophomore was second on the team. But there may be situations when Gholston and Heath are on the field at the same time in the Spartans' 3-4 "delta" defense. Imagine what will be going through the mind of the left offensive tackle when he's got Heath in front of him with a hand in the dirt and Gholston lined up off his shoulder as a linebacker, the position he played at Detroit Southeastern High School. "I hope so," Gholston said when asked if playing together with Heath is a possibility. "I'm comfortable talking to Joel and if we were on the same side and he needed any help..., well, I doubt if he'd need any help now. It's getting to be less and less times that I have to talk to him. But if we were on the same side, that'd be pretty fun. "I know he has my back." Is, as Dantonio seemed to indicate, Heath the next William Gholston? "He's the next Joel Heath," Gholston said with a laugh. Gholston's goals this season are to help MSU's cause by having an All-America-type season and "breaking some records." Heath had two sacks, for minus-11 yards, in the first spring scrimmage, but he's being careful not to get too far ahead of himself despite Dantonio's projections. "I've just got to stay humble," Heath said. "I wouldn't compare myself to anybody else but that is a compliment, definitely." Heath was generally pleased with his performance in the first scrimmage. "For the most part, I was just getting off the ball and using my hands, especially in goal-line situations," he said. "That was pretty much key and why I made the plays I did." Teaming up with Gholston in the delta defense would make for "a big combination, but everybody's big," Heath said. Nevertheless, vertically challenged quarterbacks could have difficulty seeing over MSU's defensive front if tackles Tyler Hoover (6-7, 295) and Micajah Reynolds (6-5, 320) are in the lineup along with Gholston and Heath, who lists his "power in general" and the ability to carry out the coaches' instructions as his biggest strengths. The areas he needs to improve on most are his technique and line stunts. "I'm working on it," Heath said. - - - Early last season, offensive line coach Mark Staten and offensive coordinator Dan Roushar were reinventing the front five on a near-daily basis because of injuries. Former nose tackle Blake Treadwell was playing center in place of the injured Travis Jackson until he also got injured. Junior college-transfer Fou Fonoti went from right tackle to left tackle and back to right tackle. Dan France, a former defensive tackle, eventually made his first start at the high-profile left-tackle position. Comparatively speaking, Staten and Roushar are working with an embarrassment of riches this spring. The only starter they have to replace is former All-Big Ten left guard Joel Foreman, and the line has the luxury of experimenting with different combinations. "Mark and I talk about it and I think there are eight or nine guys who are going to play significantly early," Roushar said. "That's kind of the plan right now. We'll see how things go through training camp, but those guys are all capable." Meantime, breakout seasons could be right around the corner for some, such as massive junior back-up tackle Henry Conway (6-6, 325). "I thought he had a very good (first) scrimmage," Roushar said. "He's been a little bit up-and-down with his performance and execution. At moments you say, `That's outstanding,' and at other times you're saying, `That's not good enough.' He's got to develop consistency." Red-shirt freshman Jack Allen has been impressive at left guard behind Treadwell and at center behind Jackson. "If they're together, Travis would be the center and Jack would be the guard," Roushar said. "Tready's having a really good spring. I thought he had three very good practices last week and I thought he scrimmaged very well. "He had a couple things we can clean up, but he was physical, he was aggressive, he was in good position and fundamentally he was in good shape. I thought he was in balance and I saw really good things from him. He seems like he's a lot more confident in assignment and he's able to go play faster." - - - The Spartan running back rotation continues to...

Coaches Gush About Gholston: "A Beast"

April 17, 2012 By Brian Bennett | ESPN.com

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State's William Gholston is so large and seemingly so perfectly suited for defensive end that it's hard to believe he was a linebacker in high school or that he originally wanted to play that position in college.

That is, until Pat Narduzzi flips on the film.

The Spartans' defensive coordinator eagerly pulls up footage of Gholston lined up at linebacker during a recent spring practice. On the first play, the offense goes with a running play to the right side. Gholston, who'd begun the play on the far left side, uses his long strides to gobble up the distance and get in on the tackle.

Not bad for a 6-foot-7, 280-pounder. But the show is just getting started.

"Watch this one," Narduzzi says, switching to another practice play.

This time, the offense is in the I-formation, and the handoff goes to tailback Nick Hill on an isolation play up the middle. Gholston shoots through the gap untouched and rams into the fullback, pushing him backward into Hill, who spins around and falls down.

That's about the time you realize Gholston isn't like normal human beings. Though Narduzzi doesn't necessarily plan on using him at linebacker this year, he says that Gholston "can do whatever he wants" on a football field. 

MSU Receives Verbal from 2nd 4-Star LB in 2013 Class

From The Little Brother Blog

WRITTEN BY MIKE W. | 16 APRIL 2012

A linebacker with the last name Jones from Cincinnati Moeller is nothing new to MSU fans, in fact, it's a very warm and welcome thought.

Shane Jones, no relation to Greg, became the sixth member of the 2013 Michigan State recruiting class on Monday.

"He said he just felt (Michigan State) was that great of a fit for himself and he was done,” Moeller coach John Rodenberg said to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Rodenberg added that Jones was named a team captain two weeks.

"SPARTAN NATION STAND UP! #spartandawg," Jones tweeted.

A 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker, Jones is the third Moeller player to commit to Michigan State in the past four years, joining defensive end Marcus Rush (2010) and wide receiver Monty Madaris (2012). He is listed as the No. 14 inside linebacker on Rivals.com, but likely will move outside at Michigan State. Jon Reschke, the first commit of the 2013 class, will be an inside/middle linebacker at MSU. Jones and Reschke are rated as four-star recruits by Rivals.

"@Primetime_8 (Shane Jones) welcome to the family bro!!! me and you will dominate in the middle in a couple years #SpartanNation #gogreen," Reschke tweeted to Jones.

Jones also had offers from Oklahoma, Michigan, Penn State and Texas A&M among his 19 scholarship offers.

[Video will not appear in your email post - go to BEATchUMps.com to view]

Jones on tape looks a lot like current MSU linebacker Chris Norman. Not only are they about the same size, but the way he plays sideline-to-sideline and read the play also is very reminiscent of Norman. As more of a cover linebacker, and less used in the blitz (a la Max Bullough and Denicos Allen), Norman draws assignments to cover a tight end or wide receiver -- and it seems likely Jones will fill a similar role wiht a little better speed and a superior nose for the ball (at this time).

Jones had 89 tackles in 2011, nine tackles for loss. He also had two sacks, an interception and five pass breakups.

Spartans Get Verbal from Dual Threat QB in 2013 Class

From Shaw Lane Spartans

Here’s Your Shield Damion Terry

Michigan State has itself a 2013 Quarterback, after Damion Terry committed to the Spartans earlier today. His commitment marks the seventh of the class of 2013 and the fourth on offense. As always, you want a QB to commit nice and early so the staff can go out and recruit knowing who will be the centerpiece of the offense in years to come. Terry is not ranked by Rivals or Scout and rated a three-star prospect by 247.  He selected Michigan State over offers from Illinois, Boston College, West Virginia, Kent State and Toledo and Duke.

Stats

	PA	PC	Percentage	Yards	TD	INT
2011(MaxPreps)	179	97	54.2	1415	13	6
2010(Rivals)	191	99	51.8	1780	19	5

Terry had an outstanding sophomore year and struggled a bit more as a junior. Interesting that the numbers suggest that Terry spent sometime his junior year learning to make shorter throws with higher accuracy but that it impacted his TD to pick ratio. In case you were curious Shane Morris threw only for 14 TDs and 5 Picks his sophmore year.

A Predictor of Future Success is YOUtube

2011 Junior Highlights

2010 Sophomore Highlights

Game Film Review

Note: You MUST listen to some of the background conversation in the Jr Year Highlights. Secret agents and killin’!

In Terry’s highlight video, he does a funny thing a lot in his sophomore video and a little less in his junior year video. He runs the zone read. The only guy who seems to give him a legitimate run for his money in terms of athleticism in the Dantonio era is Tyler O’ Connor. Notice anything weird about this? Two recruiting seasons of Roushar and two mobile quarterbacks. On his home planet of Roushax 5, all offenses are composed entirely of mobile QBs and H-backs.

Terry has that kind of wonky throwing motion that most mobile QBs have, but he probably won’t be in a serious position battle until 2016 so he’s got a while to figure it out. Terry has a nice touch on those sideline go/fade routes. He throws it over the middle a few times with some zip.

Predictions for 2013 and Beyond

Barring doom Terry will have two chances to compete for more than a single year of playing time as the starter. In the fall of 2014, he will be a redshirt freshman battling Cook(RS-Jr.) and O’Connor(RS-Soph) barring injury or transfer to either of them. In 2016, he’ll have a chance to battle again as a Redshirt Junior against O’Connor as a RS-Sr, so yeah, we’re really talking about a guy who will be playing football in 2017 which feels like it cannot be a real year in the future anyway.

Long Snapper Recruit is a Double Bonus

Adding a recruiting commitment from a long snapper is not typically viewed as any big deal, but how Dantonio played his hand is what makes him an effective gambler.

Consider that the Spartans latest recruit was committed to another BCS division team as a preferred walk on, and you might down grade the recruit even more. Here's the coach D difference:

1. This recruit counts toward as a 2012 commit - not impacting the remaining scholarship numbers of the currently forming recruiting class.

2. With Dantonio's emphasis on special teams and avoiding game-changing errors, note that this recruit has long snapper blood lines and is ranked as the 6th best long snapper in the country.

3. The team to which the recruit was previously committed before becoming a Spartan, will be on MSU's schedule for the entire duration of the recruit's eligibility; adding a needed specialty player to the Spartan's roster while leaving MSU's opponent short in that crucial position.

4. The team who lost this player to the Spartans, is not only in the Big Ten, but in MSU's division.

5. The team now left scrambling is the chUMps.

That's how you get the most value out of a played card - like winning a poker hand with a pair of twos.

More from M-Live:

Michigan State's scholarship offer lures Saline long snapper Taybor Pepper away from Michigan
Published: Saturday, April 14, 2012, 7:55 PM Updated: Saturday, April 14, 2012, 8:00 PM

AnnArbor.com, Courtesy photoSaline High School long snapper Taybor Pepper has accepted a football scholarship offer from Michigan State.

EAST LANSING — Michigan State's football program has added another late member to its 2012 recruiting class, with Saline High School long snapper Taybor Pepper accepting a scholarship offer from the Spartans,according to Scout.com's Allen Trieu.

Pepper reportedly had previously committed to Michigan, but as a preferred walk-on.

The second-generation long snapper was chronicled by MLive.com's sister organization AnnArbor.com last month, when he fully intended to attend Michigan.

Pepper, whose father was a long snapper at Illinois, worked with long-snapping specialist Chris Rubio, with Rubio ranking Pepper as the sixth-best long snapper prospect in the country.

"Taybor is an extremely long athlete that has perfect form for a long snapper,” Rubio wrote in an email to AnnArbor.com. "In having such exceptional form and utilizing his length, Taybor is able to generate an immense amount of speed on the ball."

Email Graham Couch at gcouch@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter attwitter.com/Graham_Couch

Related topics: Taybor Pepper

Izzo on Valentine - Spartman82 spot on...

In February, Spartanman82 made sure we were aware of MSU recruit Denzel Valentine.

What does Izzo think? Here's M-Live...

Michigan State's Tom Izzo can't temper his enthusiam for Lansing Sexton's Denzel Valentine
Published: Thursday, March 29, 2012, 11:15 AM Updated: Thursday, March 29, 2012, 11:36 AM

View full sizeMLive.com File PhotoLansing Sexton star Denzel Valentine is drawing some crazy comparisons when it comes to his passing ability. We'll find out if they're true beginning next season when the 6-6 point forward takes the floor at Michigan State.EAST LANSING — Somewhere wrapped inside Tom Izzo's monologue this week about incoming recruit Denzel Valentine, Michigan State's basketball coach dropped the line, "I don't want to put a lot of pressure on him, because you never know what's going to happen."

If only Izzo had taken a breath before continuing to gush about the 6-foot-6 Lansing Sexton prospect and cut down on the comparisons to Earvin, as in Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Among the Spartans' next class, there are more heralded and/or decorated prospects —McDonald's All-American guard Gary Harris and Michigan Mr. Basketball Matt Costello — but perhaps none more intriguing than Valentine.

He's an oversized point guard, known for his gifted passing, and just led a Lansing Public School to its second straight state title. There's some Magic in that.

"He sees the court as good as anybody I've had here, watching him in high school, anybody I've had here, as far as the passes he makes and the unselfishness he has." Izzo said of Valentine, the son of former Spartan Carlton Valentine. "There are a lot of guys that can make plays and make passes, and make other people better, but he can do it exactly when that guy needs it. Whether he's taking the ball out of bounds after the other team makes the basket, throwing it the length of the court. He doesn't need to make the spectacular pass. He can make the wraparound. Can he go behind his back, between his legs. He can do all those things, or he can make a real, simple, easy pass and enjoys both.

"I mean, I called Day‑Day (Draymond Geen) a miniature, miniature, miniature Magic in a lot of ways. But Denzel has a lot of those qualities that I used to see in films of Earvin because he's always got his head up. If you watch him play, his head is up from the minute he's about to get the ball — meaning, the ball goes through the basket, and he's already got his head up looking at where he's going to outlet the ball to. If he's got the ball in his hands, he sees everybody, everything, and can make a simple pass. He's big enough to see over people."

The question about Valentine is what position does he play in college? If he truly possesses Magic-like qualities, shouldn't he be a point guard? Some see him more on the wing for the Spartans, at least while Keith Appling is around.

Perhaps Michigan State's greatest attribute this past season was its unselfishness, and that began with Green at power forward and Derrick Nix at center as much as anywhere else on the floor.

"If you watched any of the Class A or Class B State Championship team, you've got to give Sexton a lot of credit for the unselfishness," Izzo said. "And it was led by their star, who I think will be coming here to be a very, very good player even as a freshman. That's Valentine. I've never seen a player that passed the ball and was as unselfish."

So much for tempering enthusiasm.

Izzone only 300 strong instead of 1400...

Details Here

More on Hoops Reloading - 5-Stars on Izzo's Radar

Sorry I've only been able to highlight stories already out there, but hopefully it helps some of you who may have missed this stuff... {for those who rely on the email posts, remember to visit the actual sight - everyday there are dozens of links to Spartan Stories on popular and obscure websites.}

From MLive.com

Michigan State's Tom Izzo 'visible' again in Chicago, recruiting Curie's Cliff Alexander with fervor that once landed Shannon Brown

Published: Friday, February 24, 2012, 11:00 AM Updated: Friday, February 24, 2012, 11:53 AM By Graham Couch | gcouch@mlive.com 

View full sizeCourtesy PhotoMichigan State coach Tom Izzo watches last week's Chicago Public League championship between Simeon and Curie. Simeon features Jabari Parker, the nation's No. 1-ranked junior. But Izzo's primary target appears to be Curie sophomore Cliff Alexander, who some in the Chicago basketball circles believe Izzo is chasing with a fervor not seen from Izzo in Chicago since he recruited and landed Proviso East's Shannon Brown in 2003.
Tom Izzo's vigorous recruitment of Proviso East High School's Shannon Brown is still remembered in Chicago's basketball community.

Michigan State's coach went as far as Texas to watch the 2003 Illinois Mr. Basketball — to see him play in a pickup game, no less.

Mostly, though, Izzo was noticeably visible around Brown in Chicago.

Folks who coach and cover hoops in the talent-rich Windy City say Izzo hasn't been back with such persistence until now.

His target: Curie High School sophomore Cliff Alexander, an offensively raw but gifted 6-foot-9, 240-pound five-star prospect, rated No. 9 by Rivals.com in the class of 2014.

"You see how Tom Izzo is recruiting Cliff? He’s putting in the work as a coach," said Reggie Rose, the brother of Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and the head of Alexander's AAU program, The Derrick Rose All-Stars. "It means a lot. Whose face are you seeing all the time? As a kid, he’s seeing (Izzo's) around.”

Alexander definitely notices. For a while, his Twitter avatar was a picture of him and Izzo together.

Izzo can't speak publicly about Alexander (or any unsigned prospect, for that matter) until he signs a letter of intent, no earlier than November of 2013.

But Alexander learned how Izzo felt about him during their first phone conversation.

"When he told me he loves me," Alexander said.

Izzo's interest in Chicago's basketball talent these days also includes the nation's No. 2-rated junior, according to Rivals.com, Simeon High School wing Jabari Parker.

Michigan State's coach watched courtside a week ago as Parker's Simeon squad beat Alexander and Curie for the Public League title.

But Izzo's recruitment of Parker isn't what's being noticed in Chicagoland — it's how present he and his staff are in Alexander's world.

"They've been visible," said Larry Butler, the longtime coach of the Illinois Warriors, Brown's old AAU program.

More so than with anyone since Brown?

"From what I've seen thus far," said Butler, who runs Illinois Spot-Lite scouting service. "They haven't targeted too many guys in our state like that.

"And that's a good target to be on, because I think eventually he will be the No. 1 player in our state in his class. ... His upside his enormous."

Set your DDRs for some classic Jud (with some Special K and Izzo mixed in)

From BTN.com

Michigan State’s legendary Jud Heathcote, who led the Spartans to 339 wins in 19 seasons as the head men’s basketball coach, is profiled Saturday in a new episode of Big Ten Icons, presented by Discover. Hosted by Hall of Fame broadcaster Keith Jackson, the show airs at approximately 10:30 p.m. ET, following the Michigan State-Nebraska men’s basketball game [Saturday].

The show includes new one-on-one interviews with Heathcote; Michigan State coach Tom Izzo; award-winning journalists Jack Ebling and Dan Wetzel; former MSU All-American Greg Kelser and others.

Heathcote led Michigan State to three Big Ten championships and nine NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by four Sweet 16 appearances, two berths in the Elite 8 and the 1979 national title. After arriving in East Lansing in 1976, Heathcote quickly established a new basketball culture by adapting his team’s style to his players’ talent. This hallmark coaching philosophy was perhaps most evident when he recruited a 6’9 Lansing native to play point guard.

“Magic Johnson was not looking at Michigan State that hard until Jud Heathcote said, ‘You come play for me, you can be a point guard,’” Wetzel said. “That was the game changer. It didn’t just change Magic Johnson. It didn’t just change Michigan State. It changed basketball forever.”

Heathcote developed seven All-Americans before stepping away from the MSU sidelines in 1995. Before retiring, he left one final, indelible mark on the program by insisting that then-assistant coach Tom Izzo be named his successor.

“He helped me develop as a coach while he was still the coach, and most people wouldn’t do that,” Izzo said. “I really appreciated that. He helped me grow, and I think that’s why we had success when I got the job.”

Spartans Hoops Appears to be Nearly in Reload Mode Reserved for Truly Elite Programs

I don't claim to have any inside knowledge or contacts. I just share Spartan stuff I find (so you don't have to search) and, when I have time, throw in an opinion or theory...

Note how SpartanMan82 was all over the potential Denzel Valentine brings as a Spartan. Valentine and fellow Spartan recruit Matt Costello are battling out for the State of Michigan's Mr. Basketball honor. SM82's point, that Valentine is far more valuable to the Spartans than he would be to other schools, seems to be missed by other observers...

From The Only Colors Blog...

MSU Basketball Recruiting Round-up (2/17/12)

 by intrpdtrvlr on Feb 17, 2012 1:42 PM CST

It's time to jump back on the wagon and talk about basketball recruiting. I'm going to focus on checking in with Michigan State's future prospects but I'll start with a few notes about our currently committed 2012 players. It wasn't a big surprise but Gary Harris was named a McDonald's All-American this month. He gave MSU their third straight class with a player so honored (2010 - Keith Appling, 2011- Branden Dawson).

Matt Costello did not receive a McD's spot but I'm confident that he'll surpass many of the players ranked ahead of him while at Michigan State. Outside of national acclaim, Matt has actively pursued the 2012 Mr. Basketball in Michigan and you can visit http://www.mattcostellomrbasketball2012.com to check him out.

Costello is primarily competing against future teammate Denzel Valentine for the Mr. Basketball award. Arecent State news article on DV had some quality quotes focused on Denzel's desire to play with the ball in his hands.

Valentine doesn’t mind what role he is given as long as he can be handling the ball and setting his teammates up to do well. "(I just want to be) out on the perimeter handling the ball," Valentine said. "Anytime in college, just giving me the ball and setting my teammates up (to do well) is fine with me."

This is a reminder of the potential logjam next season at both the point position and on the wing. Many people have advocated for the idea that Valentine is a true point guard who belongs there to be effective, yet MSU returns Keith Appling and Travis Trice. You could move Appling or Valentine to the wing but the likely starters are Gary Harris and Branden Dawson. MSU also has the more effective than expected Brandan Kearney returning and what if Russell Byrd makes that famous freshman to sophomore leap? At the moment, this is an embarrassment of riches.

Kenny Kaminski's recovery from a shoulder injury has been solidly on schedule and he made a cameo appearance in the Medina Bee's Senior Night game. Considering Kaminski is a big strong player, his shoulder problem should not be as problematic as it was for Adreian Payne entering his freshman year and Kenny should be ready for action this fall.

2013

MSU’s targets for 2013 appears to remain very selective. Despite all the names on the 2013 Hotlist, only Jabari Parker has an offer and the staff’s full attention. Others are either waiting for an offer or apparently not getting what you’d call the "full press."

SF/PF Jabari Parker (Chicago, IL)
The word-of-mouth vibe has become that Jabari Parker’s recruitment might be shorter and more narrowed than originally suspected when the word was that he would take five fall officials accompanied by in-homes. First, Roy Schmidt of Illinois Prep Bulls-eye suggested that Parker might not use all five and could decide in October. More recently, Kyle Randle of Scout stated that Jabari might be ready to take his officials this spring. That would be a major surprise as most officials occur in the fall leading up to a decision. That was the story with big-time MSU recruits like Adreian Payne, Gary Harris, and many others. It’s hard to say what these pieces of information might mean but I still feel great about MSU’s chances with this rare basketball talent. We might know sooner than expected.

SF James Young (Troy, MI)
Rumors flew that MSU was backing way off of James Young after his disastrous Christmas performance in front of Coach Izzo. That appears to have been premature. MSU coaches are still visiting and watching Young. As I noted a few weeks ago, Young played a monster game against a talented Clarkston team with Dane Fife there.Young’s offers are limited which suggests the MSU is far from the only team who wishes to see more of him before extending a scholarship. Trust in Izzo on this one.

PG Demetrius Jackson (Mishawaka, IN)
Jackson is a bit of the forgotten man in the 2013 class. After saying he’d commit to someone over the holidays then a sudden reversal, it’s possible that things aren’t exactly as they seem with his recruitment. He’s still very close to the coaches and program at Notre Dame and that appears his mostly likely destination. Still, you can’t dismiss MSU’s interest. Coach Izzo showed up in person to watch Jackson at the end of last month.

2014

MSU is closely pursuing more high school sophomores than juniors right now. MSU has a core group of SF/PF Jabari Parker, PF Cliff Alexander, C Jahlil Okafor, PG Tyus Jones, PG/SG Jaquan Lyle, and SG Drake Harris as their primary targets for what will probably be a two to four player class.

PG Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, MN)
Dave Telep over at ESPN broke the news that Duke has offered Tyus Jones. You might have a similar reaction as I did and say, "he didn’t have one already?" I don’t think this changes much. Jones is a major Duke target and this was to be expected. For MSU, pursuing Tyus Jones could be the first recruitment where Izzo’s expanded resources make a big difference. Despite being 700 miles away, Izzo has been to watch Tyus numerous times this season, even bringing his family along for the trip to Apple Valley, MN. It’s too early to handicap but Izzo has earned my benefit of the doubt when he’s all-in for a recruit as he is with Jones. Jones is widely considered the top point guard in his class.

PF Abdul-Malik Abu (Meridan, NH)
As reported by SpartanTailgate ($), Abu received an offer from MSU through his AAU coach. He plays for Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire and is described either as a combo forward or undersized four man.Originally from Massachusetts, he reclassified from 2013 to 2014. This offer doesn’t sound like MSU’s typical MO and with players like Parker, Young, and Drake Harris still available, I don’t expect Abu to become a Spartan soon. Right now, this is in the "one to watch" category.

PF Cliff Alexander (Chicago, IL)
Coach Izzo made it out of state this week to watch Jabari Parker and 2014 post player Cliff Alexander play in the state tournament. Alexander is one of MSU’s primary recruiting targets and the interest is mutual as MSU is Alexander’s publicly stated leader. Of all the players we’re talking about, he might be the most likely to choose MSU. Alexander is still considered a defensive player first but has been an important scorer in Currie’s run through the playoffs. They have an epic match-up tonight when they face off against Parker’s Simeon team to avenge their only loss of the year. I wouldn’t be shocked to see MSU representatives back to take in the game.

2015

C Karl Towns Jr (Metuchen, NJ)
When you’re a 6-10 freshman, people start noticing early. Though I don’t typically get either analytically or ethically excited about discussing freshman prospects, it’s worth noting this little nugget in a recent article about Towns, Jr.

"Know when I realized my son was good?" Karl Sr. said. "When colleges started visiting him (this year). When Tom Izzo came in. When Cincinnati flew in. When Kentucky showed interest. When Syracuse came in and visited. Villanova was in the house. When I saw all them cats in the gym, Jay Wright and everybody asking about him, I said these coaches are coming out to recruit a freshman.

It’s always nice to hear our coach as the first person someone mentions. Though this is outside the Midwest, it wasn’t long ago that MSU was in the thick of recruiting Dexter Strickland out of New Jersey. Way early, but we know that Coach Izzo has already been in to express interest in Towns, Jr. This whole article is good and worth a read as an introduction to this young man.

I don't think we're going to get a commitment from anyone anytime soon but these things can drop out of the sky at times. For me, the main storylines to watch going forward are this:
1. How quickly can MSU finalize the deal and wrap up a commitment from Cliff Alexander?
2. What will we continue to learn about Jabari Parker's process and timetable?
3. What is standing between James Young and a Michigan State offer?
Bonus
4. Not much "news" on him but another good question is whether Drake Harris is a football player or basketball player first or a true two-sport college athlete? How will prioritizing these two influence his options of Michigan and Michigan State?

Here's to a big commitment this weekend that makes much of this obsolete!