Tom Izzo, MSU Basketball Hitting Trail Hard, Visited Elite Recruits
La Lumiere High School in La Porte, Indiana, is blessed with basketball talent.
The school has the No. 1 and No. 2 best players in the entire state in forward Jalen Haralson and guard Darius Adams, respectively. Haralson is the No. 2 small forward in the 2025 class, per 247Sports, and the No. 13 overall player.
Adams is the No. 4-ranked shooting guard in the class and the No. 17-ranked player. Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo was able to visit both in one fell swoop, per Jeff Rabjohns of 247Sports.
LA PORTE — Michigan State (Izzo and Kelley), Missouri (Gates and Smithpeters), Auburn (Steven Pearl) at @LaLuBasketball this afternoon for 2025 national top-25 prospects Jalen Haralson and Darius Adams. pic.twitter.com/LG3ARJZVca
— Jeff Rabjohns (@JeffRabjohns) September 4, 2024
Izzo is still searching for his first commitment of the 2025 class. There are plenty of candidates, ranging from in-state five-star Trey McKenney to a whole host of Indiana prospects, including (not limited to) Adams and Haralson.
Haralson was praised by 247Sports' Trevor Andershock in a June evaluation.
"The most common way Haralson took over Nike EYBL games this spring was through slashing to the basket," Andershock wrote. "When the Indy Heat needed a bucket, Haralson aggressively attacking the paint was one of the best options, and he recognized that. He often let the game come to him in the past, but Haralson asserted himself more this spring when his team clearly needed him."
"Along with using his size and athleticism to slash the basket, Haralson focused on hitting the glass this spring. As a shot-creator, he averaged 7.4 rebounds per contest. Even at the grassroots level, not many players combine those two aspects to his level. Rebounding was clearly a priority for Haralson, and he did it well. The Indy Heat lacked size and strength in the front court, so Haralson lent a helping hand on the boards. He does a great job of getting his feet and entire body to the ball in traffic, then pushing it up the court himself. The Indy Heat offense gets a spark when Haralson grabs a rebound and sprints the ball to the offensive end."
Adams told ZAGSBLOG that one coach who stood out to him was Izzo.
"One coach I would say impressed me a lot was Michigan State," he said. "[Izzo] because when we were at the football game he sat next to me and talked to me the whole time so that really meant something to me."
The Spartans are among Haralson's top nine teams.
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.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
MICHAEL FRANCE