Names to Know in 2025 For MSU Basketball Recruiting
Michigan State basketball's 2025 will be spent recruiting the 2026 class heavily.
Whereas the 2025 class was dominated by high-end forward targets, expect Tom Izzo to look at some guards. Who are some names to watch in 2025?
Steven Reynolds, Guard, South Bend, Washington
Reynolds' coach, Ryan Varga, highlighted a jack-of-all-trades player when I spoke with him back in September. The X-factor is a high IQ and court vision.
"You could say anything you want about him shooting. He can shoot it from anywhere," Varga said. "Tremendous mid-range shooter. Which, you know, the analytics tell you not to get to that mid-range, but with him, there isn't a mid-range shot that he takes that I don't think is going in.
"He is a very underrated passer. He can really pass the ball. I've never seen anybody rebound and put the outlet pass right in the breadbasket for a layup more than he does. So just having an extra coach on the floor who is very skilled makes things kind of look easy, makes me look a heck of a lot better."
Anthony Thompson, Forward, Western Reserve Academy
Thompson is one of the top prospects in the class. He is versatile, a modern, scoring stretch four. Western Reserve head coach Matt Garvey, who coached up 2025 five-star Niko Bundalo, told me about what made Thompson so special.
"His ability to shoot the ball at that size is unbelievable," Garvey said. "He has an incredible touch, which is the high, quick release. You can't block it. He can score at all three levels. Just the way his body is configured, I don't think he is done growing. He has another inch, maybe up to three left in him. I mean, he is really just scratching the surface of what he is able to do. He reminds me a lot of Demarius Owens, who played for us over the last three years and is at Marquette. Just a wiry, 6-foot-7 athlete with guard skills. And I think Anthony shoots it better at this stage than Demarius did at his age. Very similar players in style and also very different with their strengths and weaknesses. But [Thompson] is a really, really talented young man."
Jonathan Sanderson, Guard, Ensworth (Tennessee)
A Michigan native who recently moved to Tennessee, Sanderson is an athletic point guard who can handle business in both ends of the court.
"His energy and competitiveness stand out within seconds of watching him, as Sanderson never takes a play off," 247Sports' Trevor Andershock wrote of Sanderson. "He moves well laterally on the defensive end and makes it difficult on his opponents each trip. Young point guards often allow others to do the dirty work and wait for the ball to be in their hands, but that is not the case with Sanderson. He crashes the boards and mixes it up in the paint to get the ball. ... He made 30 of 89 threes (33.7 percent) during 3SSB play but converted 82.9 percent of his 41 free-throw attempts.
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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