As Highly-Touted Recruits, MSU's Kur Teng, Jase Richardson Are in This Together

Michigan State men's basketball's incoming four-star recruits Kur Teng and Jase Richardson are entering their first collegiate seasons under similar circumstances.

Team Goodfellas' and Michigan State's Kur Teng scores against Team Motorcars in the game on Thursday, June 27, 2024, during the Moneyball Pro-Am at Holt High School. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

There's a different standard that is held against Michigan State men's basketball recruits.

One of the many things Tom Izzo is renowned for is bringing in high-ranked recruits and readying them for the next level.

It's not an easy thing to do. You see it all the time: big-time recruits come in and drop the ball, never quite reaching their ceilings. With Michigan State being having the reputation of getting the most out its best prospects throughout Izzo's time at the helm, it's reasonable to believe there would be a pressure that comes with being a highly-rated recruit entering the Spartan program.

Incoming freshman Kur Teng doesn't feel that, though.

"I've been working for this my whole life," Teng said at the 2024 Moneyball Pro-Am on Thursday. "I've been competing against everybody, ready to go at everybody, so just to be at this level, it's a blessing."

Teng isn't alone as he experiences the early stages of his college journey. He and fellow four-star recruit Jase Richardson were both top-60 recruits in the nation, according to 247Sports. The two freshmen have formed a bond as they endure a shared transition from high school to college.

"We've been through the same type of stuff like throughout high school -- AAU and stuff," Teng said. "So, just to connect on that level is good."

Teng and Richardson were picking each other up one-on-one throughout their Moneyball game on Thursday night.

"That's my boy," Teng said. "So, it's fun to compete against him. That's the best type of buckets when you're competing against your friends. So, yeah, it was fun."

Teng said the head-to-head matchups have occurred in practice as well. It's a challenge he embraces.

"He probably wants to go at me just like I want to go at him," Teng said.

Teng has connected with all of his new Spartan teammates throughout his first offseason with the program, but the bond he has with Richardson is different. They each come in with very high expectations being placed upon them, ones they must meet while also becoming accustomed to the competitiveness of the Big Ten and one of the most respected programs in the history of college basketball -- Michigan State.

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