EXCLUSIVE: Top Tom Izzo, MSU Basketball Target Recounts History with Spartans

DeZhon Hall is one of the best point guards of the 2026 class. In this Spartan Nation exclusive, Hall recounts his relationship with the Spartans and sounds off on head coach Tom Izzo.
Michigan State forward Malik Hall (25) dribbles against Mississippi State forward Jimmy Bell Jr. (15) during the second half of NCAA tournament West Region first round at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
Michigan State forward Malik Hall (25) dribbles against Mississippi State forward Jimmy Bell Jr. (15) during the second half of NCAA tournament West Region first round at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday, March 21, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Michigan State Spartans are recruiting the point guard position heavily.

Right now Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jace Richardson look like the point guards of the foreseeable future for head coach Tom Izzo, but he is looking ahead at long-term options. The 2026 class has been watched carefully by Izzo and his staff, and names like Jonathan Sanderson and DeZhon Hall have been on my radar.

I spoke to Hall on Friday. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard has six offers, and none of them are from Michigan State. He does have offers from Illinois and Wisconsin, though. He unofficially visited last fall, and he said the visit went well.

"It started around my freshman year, during the AAU season when I played with Indy Heat," Hall said. "They had came to see me multiple times. And then they seen me play my freshman year when I attended Tindley High School. They seen me play during the live period during June ball last summer when I played against Trent Sisley, I had a great game. They're recruiting him as well, he's a great player. ... They couldn't contact me at the time, but they could contact my coaches and then when I made the transfer to Pike High School in Indianapolis, they contacted my coaches and then I ended up going on an unofficial visit.

"It was a great experience, I had fun, my family and I had fun. Of course, [Michigan State University] is a very great school. Coach Izzo is a great coach. He's had plenty of NBA players go through there. So it's just a great feeling to be recruited by Michigan State."

Hall said it would be a "big opportunity" to be able to play for a coach like Izzo.

"He has a long resume, he's been doing this for a long time now, and coached plenty of pros," Hall said. "I hear people talk very highly about Coach Izzo, so it would just be a great experience to be coached by him."

Hall is classified as a shooting guard by On3, which has him ranked as the No. 48 2026 player at the position. Hall is the class' No. 2 player from Indiana.

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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