EXCLUSIVE: Elite Tom Izzo, MSU Basketball Target's Connection with Current Spartans Star a Big Plus
Michigan State Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. looks like head coach Tom Izzo's point guard of the foreseeable future. Fears can do just about everything Izzo asks of him, scoring, generating offense, and grinding out on his own end of the court.
However, the Spartans are always for options in the future and the 2026 class could be fruitful for the Green and White. In-state point guard Jonathan Sanderson, formerly of Saline High School, was recently offered by Izzo. Another target the Spartans have shown interest in is point guard DeZhon Hall, who continues to be a rising name in the class.
I spoke with Hall recently, and he described to me what seems like a solid connection with Izzo and Michigan State. Despite being offer-less with the Spartans, Hall had already visited East Lansing unofficially last fall. He recounted his visit, and what stood out was his relationship to Fears that went beyond the court.
"Our families have been pretty close for some time. Me and his younger brother, Jeremiah, used to play together -- with and against each other, years ago. We still do now. I've known him for a long time, so I was just asking him about the school, how he likes it, things like that," Hall told me. "Me and my family toured the campus, I played like an open round with some of the guys. I did pretty well, I held my own. So it was pretty fun to see how I matched up against those guys like Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard, guys that play my position and like, are close to my size. So just seeing what they do, how they play the game, and just trying to pick their brain and learn from them a little bit.
"We attended the football game ... It was a great atmosphere, I had talked to Coach Izzo a little bit ... it was a great overall experience."
Fears' brother, Jeremiah, is a 2025 Izzo target.
Hall spoke highly of Coach Izzo, saying it would be a "big opportunity" to be able to play for the Spartans.
"He has a long resume, he's been doing this for a long time now, and coached plenty of pros," he said. "It would just be a great experience to be coached by him."
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.
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MICHAEL FRANCE