EXCLUSIVE: How Elite Prep School Sold Itself to Tom Izzo, MSU Basketball Target
Western Reserve Academy is the reigning prep national champion in men's basketball. It boasts talent like five-star 2025 forward Niko Bundalo, a Michigan State and Tom Izzo priority in the class. The program added another big Spartans target in Anthony Thompson, a 6-foot-7 three-level scorer from the 2026 class.
Thompson, previously a standout for Lebanon (Ohio) High School, made the transfer to Western Reserve this spring. For Thompson, playing for head coach Matt Garvey was the best choice if not the easy one.
"Just the development piece for me, just getting better," Thompson said. "Being able to get a lot stronger, be able to just expand my game for the college level. I think that's something I just looked at, my parents looked at a lot. Just being able to go there and be able to expand my game further for when I get to college as a freshman, I'm going to be able to fit in and be able to play and play at a high level without having to worry about not being strong enough or not having a good enough skill set."
Bundalo and Thompson. Garvey could do a lot worse for a frontcourt.
Garvey has spoken with me. He is a pro-player coach that puts development on and off the court first and foremost in his program. Garvey once told me that holding his players accountable while readying them for the college game was all he did. Maybe he undersold himself a bit, but one thing is certain: it is not all about winning.
Thompson has bought into what Garvey values most and how he exudes those values.
"It's definitely just him wanting us to get better for college. I think that's definitely a great thing I saw when I met him and talked to him a lot," Thompson told me. "You know, he texted me a lot just asking me how I was doing. He texted me even during the AAU season, just texting me and calling me about what I was doing well during games and what I could improve upon, and that's something that I think I really, really liked. Just how he was able to communicate with me about the good things I was doing but even stuff that I could improve on.
"He just lets his players play, which you know, I think any player wants. He just lets everybody play freely and it allows players to not have to worry about if they are doing something right or wrong on the court, you know, you get to your spots on offense or on defense and you just play. Play through the game. He allows you to do that."
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