MSU offers Top Prospect

Michigan State recently became the nation’s No. 1 ranked college basketball team, and then they offered a scholarship to one of the nation’s best recruits.

Over the weekend, several sources reported that Montaque “Teki” Gill-Caesar received a scholarship offer from Michigan State to either become the third member of the 2014 class or the first member of the 2015 class.

He is currently the 24th-ranked player in the nation according to rivals.com for the class of 2015. However, he could reclassify to join the 2014 class and play college basketball next season.

Gill-Caesar, a 6-foot-5 small forward originally from Canada, currently plays for Huntington Prep, the same school that produced freshman phenom Andrew Wiggins.

 

According to the Herald-Dispatch, Gill-Caesar’s coach, Rob Fulford, has given the same advice to Gill-Caesar as he did to Wiggins.

“He and I had the discussion to be a ‘14 or ‘15 and my advice to him was that if the offers on the table for 2014 weren’t what he wanted, that’d be the only reason to come back,” Fulford said. “If you have the top three schools offering, I’m not sure it gets any better than that.”

Michigan State certainly fits that mold. However, Gill-Caesar is in no hurry to make his decision.

“It’s all just wait and see,” Gill-Caesar said to the Herald-Dispatch. “I have no real timetable on when I’m going to be deciding anything right now.”

Gill-Caesar recently visited Kentucky, the team considered by many to be the favorite to land the rising star. He has also received offers from Kansas, West Virginia and Providence along with drawing interest from many other top programs.

MSU signs Nairn Jr. and Bess

The Spartans may not have ended up with the best recruiting class on paper. But in the end, Izzo was more than pleased with the players who signed.

Lourawls (Tum Tum) Nairn Jr. and Javon Bess both made it official Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period, by signing their binding national letters of intent to play basketball for the Spartans in the fall of 2014.

Izzo liked Nairn Jr., a 5-foot-11, 170-pound point guard originally from the Bahamas who attended Sunrise Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. He compared him to former Spartan legends Draymond Green and Mateen Cleaves.

"Number one, he's a true point guard that can run a team, but in watching him in the weight room and on the court, he might become like a Draymond Green or Mateen Cleaves of the world," Izzo said in a statement. "He just has incredible, incredible leadership abilities. I mean people just kind of gravitate to him. He's one of those guys that everybody just seems to like and respect because he works so hard."

“He's just kind of an infectious guy in a positive way. He gets everybody excited. He holds people accountable. He demands of himself and of people. He's come from a tough area in the islands and because of that I think he has an appreciation for what he gets and what he's got,” Izzo said.

Izzo also thinks highly of Bess, a player that he sees as versatile and being able to come in next season and earn a spot on the team.

"He offers the same thing that Tum Tum brings -- the ability to fit into a system," Izzo said.

The two-man class as it stands is, to some, disappointing after Izzo and the Spartans struck out on top recruits Cliff Alexander, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, Kevon Looney and others.

Losing those players did not deter Izzo and staff, and Izzo believes the rankings do not mean everything.

"Well I think the two things that happen in recruiting are, number one you get caught up in the rankings all the time and number two, there are guys who grow,” Izzo said.

There is still time for the 2014 class to grow too, with the possible departures of Gary Harris and Branden Dawson along with seniors Keith Appling and Adreian Payne graduating.

While there may not be anyone publically on the radar right now, few thought Gavin Schilling and Alvin Ellis III would end up being Spartans at this point a year ago.

Spartans Get Bess

Michigan State basketball received its second verbal commitment for the class of 2014.

Javon Bess, a 6-foot-5 guard from Lincoln High School in Gahanna, Ohio chose MSU over Kansas State and Dayton.

"I called Coach [Tom] Izzo just about 20 minutes and committed to Michigan State," Bess said. "My parents and I were talking and we felt that Michigan State was the best decision for me. Coach Izzo was excited and told me he was about to tell all the guys on the team. He was very excited."

Bess joins point guard commit Lourawls Nairn in the class of 2014, which is a very important class for Michigan State, as they will have to replace seniors Keith Appling and Adreian Payne along with possible early departures for guards Gary Harris and Branden Dawson.

Michigan State is still reportedly in the running for class of 2014 wings Devin Booker, James Blackmon Jr. and Kevon Looney along with power forward Cliff Alexander.

Bess is ranked as a three-star recruit by ESPN, Rivals, and Scout.com.

White beats Green

The white team won the annual spring game 24 to 17 today in Spartan Stadium.

Led by two defensive touchdowns, and Andrew Maxwell's 110 passing yards and one touchdown, the white team won bragging rights over their teammates.

It seemed very appropriate for a Michigan State team that has been lead by its defense over the past few years that the first two touchdowns of the game came off of turnovers.

The first was a 25-yard interception return by Chris Laneaux and the second was a 41-yard fumble return by Kyle Elsworth. 

On the offensive side of the ball Connor Cook continued to create a quarterback controversy by throwing for 217 yards and a touchdown and lead the green team to tie the game at 17 in the fourth quarter.

Maxwell broke the tie by connecting with AJ Troup for a 46-yard touchdown that proved to be the game winning score.

The spring game marked the end of spring practice and for spartan fans, left questions as far as who will be the starting quarterback, running back, and will the MSU offensive improve from where it was last year?

The game can be re-watched on the Big Ten Network at 10 p.m. Saturday evening, or on demand at btn2go.com. 

MSU Spring Game Preview

Michigan State is set to begin their 2013 season with their annual spring game at 2:30 p.m. today at Spartan Stadium.

The game will feature the Michigan State football team divided into green and white squads that were picked earlier this week.

The green side will feature quarterback Connor Cook who replaced starter Andrew Maxwell in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl last December.

The green side will also have Riley Bullough who as of last week made the switch to running back and was the first back taken in the spring game draft.

The white team has starter Andrew Maxwell who is looking to regain his starting role and impress Spartan fans after missing the spring game due to injury a year ago.

This game will also mark the unveiling of new co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner's offense after he replaced Dan Roushar who left for the NFL.

The spring game is available on the Big Ten Network, starting at 2:30.

No Burke, No Problem

The fourth seeded Michigan Wolverines beat South Dakota State 71-56 despite a season low 6 points from their star point guard Trey Burke.

While Burke struggled to score teammates Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway Jr picked up the Wolverines scoring 21 points each, en route to the double diget victory.

However, the most outstanding performance of the game could go to freshmen Mitch McGary who had 13 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block while making only his third career start.

It was a tough start for the Wolverines who fell into a early 16-10 hole, but were able to respond and went to the locker room leading by four points, 30-26.

The Wolverines were able to take control of the game in the second half thanks to hot shooting from Robinson III and Hardaway, but the upset minded Jackrabbits refused to go away quietly.

With the game at 49-41 in favor of the Wolverines the Palace of Auburn Hills went silent as Burke went down hard to the floor while trying to get a rebound.

However, after getting up and going to the locker room under his own power Burke was able to return to the game to the delight of the large Michigan crowd that packed the arena.

For the Jackrabbits, it was a tough shooting night for their senior leader, guard Nate Wolters, who went 3-14 from the field including 0-5 from behind the 3-point line.

The Jackrabbits were led by Brayden Carlson who scored 20 points, however only scored four after halftime.

Next up for the Michigan Wolverines will be either Virginia Commonwealth or Akron on Saturday at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Michigan vs. SDSU Preview

The Michigan Wolverines are looking to start off their NCAA title hopes with a win against the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State University at 7:15 p.m. tonight in Auburn Hills.

Michigan is coming off a loss in the Big Ten Tournament to Wisconsin and after finishing in fifth place during the season, despite being only a tip in away from tying for the regular season title.

The number 13 seeded Jackrabbits are making their second straight tournament appearance after winning the Summit League Tournament title and are led by senior guard Nate Wolters.

Michigan is making their second straight trip to the NCAA tournament as 4 seed, and is hoping for a different result after being upset by Ohio a season ago.

The upset minded Jackrabbits will have to fight through a potential home court advantage for the Wolverines as the game is being played only 54 miles away from UofM's campus.

The game can be watched on CBS or online at http://www.cbssports.com/ .