Tom Izzo's Expectations For Stellar MSU Recruiting Class in Year 2
CHICAGO -- For Michigan State's Tom Izzo, recruiting classes don't really get better than what he had in 2023. 247Sports ranked the class the sixth-best in the country. The class consisted of four recruits, three of them within the Top 50 in the class.
The biggest name was that of forward Xavier Booker, a five-star big-man with modern sensibilities when it comes to shooting, handling, and passing the ball. Booker was the No. 11-ranked player in the entire class. A massive win for Izzo.
Izzo also got his point guard of the future by way of high four-star Jeremy Fears Jr., the No. 32 player in the class.
One evaluation read, "Fears is a true point guard who has natural charisma and leadership skills. He knows how to run a team, has good floor vision and playmaking instincts, particularly in the open court ... His biggest swing skill is his shooting. He’s a consistent threat with his pull-up."
Then there was high-flying forward Coen Carr, the No. 46 overall player in the class. One scouting report pretty much summed up what made Carr so special, "an extreme athlete and perhaps the most violent leaper in the national class of [2023]."
The class was one of Izzo's best on paper. However, in Year 1, the three freshman didn't dominate out of the gate and failed to live up to unjust expectations. In Fears' case, he was sidelined when he was shot in the leg early in the season.
The expectations are high for the three stars of the 2023 class. Izzo discussed the expectations at a roundtable during Big Ten Basketball Media Days.
"I think sometimes rankings create problems for kids," Izzo said. "[Booker] has gone from 217 [pounds] to 240 and it's all good weight. He's gotten stronger. I think he's a player that has got tremendous skills and tremendous measurements, but you still gotta play the game. I think in Coen Carr, he's one of the best athletes in the country, but you know, you've got to become better offensively, which I think he is, and better defensively I think he's become.
"And poor Jeremy, he's only played in a few games so he's a freshman all over [again]. But I still think the class is as good as it was ranked. I think it just maybe takes a little while longer. And if it does, all I care about is the results at the end."
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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