Michigan State's Tom Izzo Gives Tremendous Praise to Freshman Guard
One of the more overlooked players on this Michigan State roster is freshman guard Kur Teng.
Teng, one of Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's two four-star recruits from the class of 2024, didn't see the court much in the Spartans' season opener against Monmouth on Monday, but when he did, he made the most of it.
In 4 minutes of action, Teng went perfect from the field, making two baskets on as many attempts, one of which was from deep.
Izzo applauded a particular area of Teng's game that the freshman excels at.
"Like every kid, I mean, he right now, has come on a little later, but he maybe shoots it as good as anybody on my team," Izzo said after the Spartans' practice on Tuesday. "And if you look at one thing he does that you hope [for from] a great shooter -- he reminds me of Shawn Respert, Brynn Forbes -- his shot is the same every single time he shoots it. There are a lot of guys that are off-balance and this -- every time he shoots it, I swear, it's going in.
"So, as he improves defensively and gets in even a little better shape, I mean, his game's going to really grow, I think. And is he going to have a chance to have that happen? There is a process to who gets first opportunities. But I know Jase [Richardson] has made the most of his, and he's starting to stack minutes together. If Kur does that, if guys don't play as well or don't shoot it as well, same thing's going to happen for him."
Teng was ranked the No. 1 class of 2024 prospect in the state of Massachusetts and the No. 12 shooting guard in the class, according to 247Sports.
The freshman played well in the Spartans' two exhibition games. He scored 6 points while adding three rebounds and two assists against Northern Michigan. Last week, he posted 9 points and grabbed two boards in the win over Ferris State.
Perhaps Teng's moment will come this season, but even if he isn't much of a contributor in his first year, he will surely be a key player for this program in the coming years.
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