EXCLUSIVE: Top Hoops Target Discusses MSU's Recruiting Competition

Michigan State isn't alone in recruiting highly touted 2026 guard Steven Reynolds. In this exclusive, Reynolds discusses the Indiana powers that want him just as bad as the Green and White.

Washington's Steven Reynolds (3) goes up for a shot in front of Bremen s Silas Laidig (24) Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, at Washington High School. High School Boys Basketball Bremen Lions At Washington Panthers / MATT CASHORE / USA TODAY NETWORK

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- 2026 guard Steven Reynolds can pretty much do it all. He can make just about any shot at all three levels. He is an excellent passer who can push the offense down the court and make plays. Defender? More than capable.

Can play the 1, 2, even the 3. To top it all off, he is a coach's son with an IQ "off the charts" (as South Bend Washington head coach Ryan Varga puts it) and the awareness and vision to be an "extra coach" on the court. And he has all of the intangibles you'd want.

What's not to like? That question is also the answer as to why just about every school in the region is interested in Reynolds.

Region not only meaning Big Ten country, that colloquial term we use for the Midwest (although those pesky West Coast additions kind of change it, don't they?), but the state of Indiana itself.

The three big schools in Indiana (the Hoosiers, Notre Dame and Purdue) are in direct competition with Michigan State. And each other.

The Fighting Irish are just 20 minutes from Reynolds' house, he told me. He likes head coach Micah Shrewsberry. Likes him for the NBA background. Likes him for the Penn State lineage.

"Definitely a good program," Reynolds said of his hometown team. "Been up there a few times, obviously because I'm close."

Reynolds told me he wants to stay close to home -- but there's a but in there.

"Coming down to a decision, I don't think it would make too much of an impact."

Then there is Purdue, the toast of the Big Ten for the past several seasons (and very successful over the course of the last decade, too), rolling along with the indomitable Zach Edey and a collective of playmakers.

Outside of prestige, Purdue has familial ties going in it's favor. Reynolds' sisters, Amiyah and Mila, both play basketball there. Another sister, Kira, is a 2025 commit for the Boilermakers.

"Obviously it plays a factor," Reynolds said. "But my recruitment is wide open."

Official visits will be crucial in landing Reynolds. He will be looking at the environments each school offers from a day-to-day perspective as well as relationships with each staff.

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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