Surprising News From Top 10 Tom Izzo, MSU Basketball Target
In the 2025 recruiting class, the Michigan State Spartans targets that are garnering the most attention are Trey McKenney and Niko Bundalo. Both are complete players and five-star talents who have dominated prep, AAU, and international competition.
An elite prospect that has shown a mutual interest in the Spartans is five-star forward Dwayne Aristode. Aristode is the No. 10 prospect in the class, per On3, and the 3rd-ranked small forward. The 6-foot-7 recruit recently scheduled an official visit with Michigan State, per the site. He will come to East Lansing Aug. 29.
Aristode told Jamie Shaw of On3 about his relationship with the Spartans.
"Things are good with them. They like my feel for the game, they tell me that I play the game the right way and that I’m a mature player," Shaw said. "They tell me I can work on a lot of things, but they like my size and that I can do a lot of things at my size and my feel for the game."
Aristode is being courted by some of the top programs in college basketball. Duke is the perceived frontrunner to land the blue-chip, per On3's Recruiting Prediction Machine. The Blue Devils have a 25.8 percent chance.
"Things are good with them, I would like to try and set up a visit to go there," Aristode said. "They like my versatility, how I can play with my size, and my speed and athleticism. The versatility I bring falls in with the way that they play."
The Spartans have a 22.6 percent chance, per the prediction machine. UConn, the reigning back-to-back national champions and one of the most dominant programs of the 21st century, is in the running.
"UConn is UConn, man, they’re a winner," Aristode said. "Dan Hurley won back-to-back, I don’t need to say much more than that. They’re dogs and they want to win, it’s all about getting better. They’re a basketball-only program, and that is what I like, they only want to get better, with no excuses."
UCLA is more of a dark horse, but the Bruins should not be counted out.
"I know they have a lot of European players there. So they are used to having Europeans, for example, one of my good friends Adem Bona came from Europe and went there," Aristode said. "They do well with European players, and that feels comfortable. There is a good opportunity to play early there, too."
What Aristode wants in a program is not uncommon when it comes to what recruits desire.
"I want to go somewhere that feels like home," he said. "Play for a coach that lets me play my game. I’m always able and ready to sacrifice for the team, but play in a style that suits me. I want to be comfortable, play in a place that feels like home, and have fun. I want to win, for example, one of my goals is to play in the Final Four."
Aristode would be a huge get for Izzo, who is looking to secure his first recruit in the 2025 class.
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