Rumblings are out there that MSU is about to land several 09 recruits and they might all come within days of each other. MSU has been believed to be the leader for 5 Star Dexter Strickland, 5 star DaShonte Riley, and 4 star Richard Howell. However, 4 star forward Jamir Wilson is rumored to be the 4th commitment to join this crew. Wilson said this weekend that he wants to play with current friends at MSU. Wilson is a 6'7" forward.

An "insider" on the radio said that several commitments may come soon for MSu and they might all come within the same week. Stickland and Howell already have MSU as their leader and I believe Riley while not stating it is thinking the same.

Two 5 stars and Two 4 stars all in the Top 50 players in the country? That class following back to back Top 5 recruiting classes? Uh-oh

I really hope Howell doesn't get pushed out of the mix with an offer to James Still. Howell seems like a well rounded player that will stay for 3-4 years. Howell= great Raymar replacement.

It'd be cool to see a Green and Black Fab Five.

It'd be cool to see a Green and Black Fab Five.
Yes, it would. However, I am sure this Fab Five would not be an utter disgrace to college basketball.

Jamil Wilson has Sam Hosey gushing all over about him. Which is all I need to know there.

I think we will get: 1 combo guard; 1 combo forward; 1 PF(possibly another combo kid); and 1 C.

Strickland is the hoped for guard, Royce White and Jamil Wilson are the forwards I want, and Riley or Still(or Donovan Kirk) could be the big guys to look at.

Howell transfered to another school to 'get more visibility', and said he doens't want to decide until at least April. I think he is more or less off the table. However, Ari Stewart a 5 star Atlanta kid is interested, so watch his name.

Izzo seems to have half the top 50 for 2009 begging for a spot.

Yes, it would. However, I am sure this Fab Five would not be an utter disgrace to college basketball.

You can let go of a 15 year old scandal anytime now. Breathe. Relax. Pull your head out of your ass. Open your eyes.
Nobody cares anymore. Move on.

I'm going to send them a money cake and see if any of them bite.

You can let go of a 15 year old scandal anytime now. Breathe. Relax. Pull your head out of your ass. Open your eyes.
Nobody cares anymore. Move on.

You'll hear about it for the next 50 years, you just don't like it because it's a sore subject. You want to forget about it, I get that. It's not going to happen though.

Howell stated this week that his #1 choice is MSU and I want him. Watched video of him and he could be Raymar plus. I fell in love with his game immediately. There is an article up about his potential commitment to MSU on scout which has only added to the rumblings about a Spartan commitment week. This would be amazing.

I don't want to forget about it. They were the greatest freshman class of all time. I loved the Fab Five.

You can let go of a 15 year old scandal anytime now. Breathe. Relax. Pull your head out of your ass. Open your eyes.
Nobody cares anymore. Move on.
The biggest scandal in the history of college sports. Sorry, zippy, but facts are facts. UM is dirtier than UNLV, Miami, Marshall, etc. "The leaders and best" in underhanded dealings and manipulation of inner-city black youth.

I am getting the feeling that Howell is going to be committing to MSU soon. There just seems to be an awful lot of noise and headlines about how each feels the other is a good fit. Howell would be cool.

You'll hear about it for the next 50 years, you just don't like it because it's a sore subject. You want to forget about it, I get that. It's not going to happen though.

That's OK, you're a Sparty. Sparties probably conveniently forget the probabtion their football team has been on in the past.
That's the Sparty way, and I DO get that.

That's OK, you're a Sparty. Sparties probably conveniently forget the probabtion their football team has been on in the past.
That's the Sparty way, and I DO get that.
Comparing the transgressions of MSU football to those of UM basketball is comical and would only be attempted by a Wal-Mart wolverine. UM basketball, the biggest scandal in the history of college sports. $600,000 of hypocrisy.

Comparing the transgressions of MSU football to those of UM basketball is comical and would only be attempted by a Wal-Mart wolverine. UM basketball, the biggest scandal in the history of college sports. $600,000 of hypocrisy.

You say "hypocrisy", I say "lots of hookers and strippers". You say "biggest scandal", I say, "well, again, at least none of those players went to Michigan State".
I say "UM basketball will win an NC before The Izzo wins his next one.
PS: I get my shirts at Target; the chicks are hotter there, and there is too much Michigan State Nike gear to wade through at Wal Mart.

You say "hypocrisy", I say "lots of hookers and strippers". You say "biggest scandal", I say, "well, again, at least none of those players went to Michigan State".
I say "UM basketball will win an NC before The Izzo wins his next one.
PS: I get my shirts at Target; the chicks are hotter there, and there is too much Michigan State Nike gear to wade through at Wal Mart.
You are a farce. Oh, I`d like to make some sort of wager regarding the portion of your post I put in bold font.

I do believe that Nike products aren't sold in Walmart stores, they wouldn't stoop that low. If we were to see any major sports brand show up there it would probably be adidas like in Meijer stores.

This is what I want for 09

pg-Strickland
sf-Howell,Wilson
pf-Still
c-Riley

You are a farce. Oh, I`d like to make some sort of wager regarding the portion of your post I put in bold font.

Gambling is illegal. What are you, an NBA referee?

Zip go rant about your UM paying players elsewhere. Back on topic: I agree I think Howell might be the first to commit out of the four. I would be really happy with that too. Video of him shows a man among boys. He's mobile, good handles, can shoot, and he's strong. Very very much like Raymar, but maybe even more versatile with more athletism. I'm not hating on Raymar, that's my boy...Howell "could" be better though.

Trust me on this one though, if you haven't seen Strickland yet, he's got to be choice #1 no matter what needs we have. I like throwing out predictions like I did with my Durant one last year. Strickland will be an NBA point guard and most likely a very good one. When I say one is my top choice over another though, its kinda like saying Lambo, then Ferrari, etc.

Wow, Ari Stewart has MSU in his top 4. Stewart is a 5 star 6'7" SF who is ranked the #19 player in the country for the 09 class. He plays on Chris Allen's AAU squad. Our competition for Stewart? Ole Miss, Minnesota, and Georgia! Are you kidding? We've got like 4-5 Four/Five Star guys seriously on our radar and now Stewart is in the mix wanting an MSU offer. This could get ridiculous.

Wow. There is a lot of top shelf talent interested in MSU for `09. How many scholarships does MSU have for `09? Having to pick and choose among that group would be a wonderful problem to have.

How many scholarships does MSU have for `09?

Oh, they'll walk on if we tell em to.

Wow. There is a lot of top shelf talent interested in MSU for `09. How many scholarships does MSU have for `09? Having to pick and choose among that group would be a wonderful problem to have.

Izzo is definately taking MSU even a notch further. They are now approaching UNC/Duke level with recruiting.

Izzo is definately taking MSU even a notch further. They are now approaching UNC/Duke level with recruiting.
Not that it isn`t warranted, but it seems to have come out of the blue a little. MSU has always got high-quality recruits, but the 2007, 2008 and the potential 2009 classes are about as good as it gets.

I can understand why MSU would be attractive to a recruit, great program, great coach, great school, great facilities, big-time fan base, but damn, whats seems to be on the horizon is some serious, serious talent that is only going to perpetuate itself. Go Green!

Not that it isn`t warranted, but it seems to have come out of the blue a little. MSU has always got high-quality recruits, but the 2007, 2008 and the potential 2009 classes are about as good as it gets.

I can understand why MSU would be attractive to a recruit, great program, great coach, great school, great facilities, big-time fan base, but damn, whats seems to be on the horizon is some serious, serious talent that is only going to perpetuate itself. Go Green!

I agree bukdow. All the sudden, The Izzo has turned up the heat with recrooting. He's securing the State of Michigan, and seeing to it that now that Michigan has finally hired an actual basketball coach, he won;t be caught napping, unlike Lloyd when OSU hired Tressel.

So they're on the verge of the best recruiting class ever, after two other top classes, with the greatest coach ever to visit the UP, and still Spartan fans can only say "Championships, Championships, Championships" without ever saying the truth - if that group doesn't win a NC, they're a disappoinment.

So they're on the verge of the best recruiting class ever, after two other top classes, with the greatest coach ever to visit the UP, and still Spartan fans can only say "Championships, Championships, Championships" without ever saying the truth - if that group doesn't win a NC, they're a disappoinment.
Look, keep your inferiority complex out of this. Yes, I would expect this group to compete for a national championship. However, if they only make it to a couple of Final Fours and win two or three Big Ten championships as well, I won`t be that disappointed.

Sorry bukdow, but that ain't good enough. This thread is titled "...best class ever".
With all these recroots, Izzo has to nail down one or two more NC's. You can Sparty all you want but Lute Olson has a championship and a bunch of final fours too; is he one of the all time greats? Lots of talent, can't get it done, they say.
The Izzo has to deliver more NC's if you Sparties want to walk around with an Izzo Boner for the rest of your lives.

Izzo kicks ass without top talent and will kick even more ass with top talent.

So they're on the verge of the best recruiting class ever, after two other top classes, with the greatest coach ever to visit the UP, and still Spartan fans can only say "Championships, Championships, Championships" without ever saying the truth - if that group doesn't win a NC, they're a disappoinment.

I love a Michigan fan laying out the goals for MSU. Jethro, give that same old story a rest. None of the State fans give a rats ass about your ridiculous views on championships. We're talking recruiting, these kids haven't even committed, and you're talking about how they MUST win a NC. Good grief!

I don't think you should call MSU a disappointment if they bring in Top 5 recruiting class after Top 5 recruiting class and they don't win the big one. I think you should just call them Michigan Football.

If the "best class ever" doesn't win a championship then they aren't "the best class ever".

Even you have to see that, Tre.

I suppose they could be "the class that received the most hype" or "the most disappointing class ever", but if you want to call them the best, they'll need to back it up.

I don't think I agree with that.

That's okay.

It's subjective, I prolly should have dropped an "IMO" in there.

I'll take the hypothetical #54 rated class that wins the National Championship over the #1 rated class that gets bounced in the Sweet 16.

If a person counts the fab 5 as a recruiting class, they went to the championship based almost completely on the efforts of freshman. Therefore, I would think that the "best class ever" would have to win a championship to surpass that class. If you want to discount the fab 5, I think the 2002-2003 syracuse freshmen class won the title based largely on the efforts of 3 freshmen. Hence, to become "the best class ever", I don't think a requiring a championship is inappropriate especially if there is already considerable talent. Also, I doubt msu can top last year's UNC class that had 3 5-stars and 3 4-stars and the best PG, SG, PF according to Scout.

Its a one game tournament. If it were a traditional series style I would agree with the "they've gotta win it". But we all know how volatile the bracket is.

Its a one game tournament. If it were a traditional series style I would agree with the "they've gotta win it". But we all know how volatile the bracket is.

Maybe, but "best class ever" is a grandiose statement and requires some level of dominance. In 2 of the last 3 years, Florida 2007 and UNC 2005 were the consensus best teams and won their titles fairly convincingly (i.e. there were no fluke victories). I would assume that the best class ever should be able to match those teams (not even counting the strong recruiting classes that precede them). Although I would expect growing pains at the beginning of the season, the best class ever should be dominant by the end of the season.

I also forgot about last year's osu class. picks no. 1, 4, 21 in first year of eligibility + big 10 titles, no.1 seed, and ncaa championship game. I will go out on a limb and say there is no way msu's class will match that class.

Its a one game tournament. If it were a traditional series style I would agree with the "they've gotta win it". But we all know how volatile the bracket is.

True dat, Fool, but the legendary Izzoid should be able to win a championship, and I'll side with xanadu (and myself) that if he doesn't with all these recroots, it's going to be a disappointment, especially with all the Sparty check cashing.
Hint: Guess what the Jive Five are remembered for? the answer: the Heimlich Maneuver is needed. They're remembered for Chris Webber's time out. They're remembered for NOT winning an NC. And that's fair.

I love a Michigan fan laying out the goals for MSU. Jethro, give that same old story a rest. None of the State fans give a rats ass about your ridiculous views on championships. We're talking recruiting, these kids haven't even committed, and you're talking about how they MUST win a NC. Good grief!

I don't think you should call MSU a disappointment if they bring in Top 5 recruiting class after Top 5 recruiting class and they don't win the big one. I think you should just call them Michigan Football.

Better get your facts straight jack. Michigan's recrooting classes rarely rank in the Top 5. They usually average at #8.8-11.

So we are back to comparing football to basketball. Good call Tre.

Anyways, i already think UM is somewhat of a failure over the last few years by not winning a NC. Now if they would have actually managed to get top 5 recruiting class after top recruiting class as per Tre, maybe they would have gotten that S or CB that they needed to actually win it last year.

Tre let me break it down for you....basketball recruiting does not equal football recruiting. Two entirely different things. So lets try to stick with something that actually is similar. Like Lohan being a skank ho vs Paris being a skank ho vs Britney being a skank ho. See you can compare those three skanks. But Michigan football does not compute when comparing to MSU basketball. I could have sworn you said that this subject was all played out in another thread. But....

So we are back to comparing football to basketball. Good call Tre.

Anyways, i already think UM is somewhat of a failure over the last few years by not winning a NC. Now if they would have actually managed to get top 5 recruiting class after top recruiting class as per Tre, maybe they would have gotten that S or CB that they needed to actually win it last year.

Tre let me break it down for you....basketball recruiting does not equal football recruiting. Two entirely different things. So lets try to stick with something that actually is similar. Like Lohan being a skank ho vs Paris being a skank ho vs Britney being a skank ho. See you can compare those three skanks. But Michigan football does not compute when comparing to MSU basketball. I could have sworn you said that this subject was all played out in another thread. But....

My comment about Michigan was just a joke thrown at Jethro because of his championship talk again.

Okay, in response to Glenn and much of the above here is my take on the "best class ever" thing. I can see both sides. Some say you'd have to win it all to be the best class ever. Some say, maybe luck doesn't go your way or maybe your coach blows it, but that doesn't take away from an amazing class.

I think we are talking two different things. Most accomplished class and best class. When I say best class, I'm talking about the most highly touted group of individuals ever to come to a University out of hs. And when I said, "best class ever" I meant best class ever at MSU. Not all time.

Most accomplished can be an entirely different thing. Mo Pete, Mateen, and Granger are probably the most accomplished class ever to step foot in EL. Nearly impossible to top 3 BT titles, 3 Final Fours, and a NC. However, they were far from the best class to ever come into MSU. Mo Pete and Granger didn't receiver hardly an ounce of attention from D1 schools outside of MSU. Mateen was the only highly touted in the class. They would be surpassed by the Zach Randolph/Marcus Taylor class in terms of highly touted coming in. However, what they did on the court was completely the opposite.

I'm not into putting expectations on 16 year olds right now. When I say "best class ever" I'm talking about the most highly touted group ever to come into MSU.

I could reply to your UM take if we wanted to keep the multi-sport thing going, but I'll wait for you to make that call.

Define it however you want, but others have said that IF this class comes together they do need to win it all to be the best. That's the class all on it's own, with no regard to other players around it. Given the hype of the two previous classes, that makes winning even more vital.

Meanwhile, I can't believe you, of all people, would bring it down to luck or things not going your way. You've quoted Izzo as saying it's the teams fault any time they get in a situation that they lose and they can't blame it on anything else.

Bottom line: top 5 class + top 5 class + best class ever + top 5 coach must = NC or they'll forever be a joke of underacheivement.

But I'm sure if that happened we would hear a laundry list of excuses. I'll put it on hold for about 7 years and wait and see. Personally, I predict 2 NC's. Not only do I predict it, I expect it.

WHOA Tre, talk about some serious backtracking.
I say put the expectations on these 16 year old shits. Someday they'll grow up to be Stevie Francis or Kobe Bryant. MAke the fuckers sweat a little. They're two or three years away from being millionaires, and right now everyone in the world is kissing their asses telling them how great they are.
Expect nothing, and you'll get it every time.
It's not the kids alone, BTW. The heat needs to be turned up on The Izzo, who is flopping all over the place these days. Shit, he's the Manu Ginobli of college basketball coaches.

So we are back to comparing football to basketball. Good call Tre.

Anyways, i already think UM is somewhat of a failure over the last few years by not winning a NC. Now if they would have actually managed to get top 5 recruiting class after top recruiting class as per Tre, maybe they would have gotten that S or CB that they needed to actually win it last year.

Tre let me break it down for you....basketball recruiting does not equal football recruiting. Two entirely different things. So lets try to stick with something that actually is similar. Like Lohan being a skank ho vs Paris being a skank ho vs Britney being a skank ho. See you can compare those three skanks. But Michigan football does not compute when comparing to MSU basketball. I could have sworn you said that this subject was all played out in another thread. But....
How/why don`t they compare?

To me, best class is more interesting than most hyped class. Since rabid interest in recruiting is fairly recent phenomenom, most hyped doesn't appeal to me.

Anyways, I would say the 1977 msu class is the best and the standard to judge future classes. magic (probably top 10 all-time college player) + jay vincent + brkovich (i think). Getting a transcendent talent like magic + a very good vincent is better than 4 top-50 players.

To me, best class is more interesting than most hyped class. Since rabid interest in recruiting is fairly recent phenomenom, most hyped doesn't appeal to me.

Anyways, I would say the 1977 msu class is the best and the standard to judge future classes. magic (probably top 10 all-time college player) + jay vincent + brkovich (i think). Getting a transcendent talent like magic + a very good vincent is better than 4 top-50 players.

I agree with your 77 class. Vincent was very good.

BTW, I just bought a matted and framed 16 x 20 picture of Magic cutting down the net after winning the NC for State and it's autographed by the man himself, certificate of authenticity and all. HOTNESS.

Zip, back tracking? Back tracking on what? You guys started the stupid NC talk about a bunch of sophmores in high school. I didn't. I wanted to talk about a possible amazing class coming in and who would make it up.

Jethro, I know your game. Place some ridiculous expectations on the Spartans so that if they don't reach them you'll have an excuse to call them a failure. Lame. 2 NCs? Like 3 programs have ever done it in the history of college bball. Set em up for failure, I can see through you.

I'm sure I'll be predicting a National Title sometime between now and 5 years from now, but I might wait until the kids have their driver's licenses.

So why not wait for them to drive before putting the "best class ever" tag on them? That's arguably more pressure than expecting a NC. You saw how pressure got to Torberts bunch and how they were a huge disappointment until their senior year.

Izzo's best coaching job ever

MSU gets the best class ever

Kevin Durant will be one of the greatest of all time

...and so on, I think we can all see the pattern: grandiose overstatement followed by defensiveness and indignation when questioned on it.

Zip, back tracking? Back tracking on what? You guys started the stupid NC talk about a bunch of sophmores in high school. I didn't. I wanted to talk about a possible amazing class coming in and who would make it up.

Jethro, I know your game. Place some ridiculous expectations on the Spartans so that if they don't reach them you'll have an excuse to call them a failure. Lame. 2 NCs? Like 3 programs have ever done it in the history of college bball. Set em up for failure, I can see through you.

I'm sure I'll be predicting a National Title sometime between now and 5 years from now, but I might wait until the kids have their driver's licenses.
You are spot on, Tre. From the "whether you are a Wolverine or a Sparty..." on the forums front page, to the "I expect 2 NCs", all of this crap is just thinly veiled derision and childish set-ups directed toward MSU from a bunch of UM bootlicks. And, I for one, have no problem calling them out.

Izzo's best coaching job ever

MSU gets the best class ever

Kevin Durant will be one of the greatest of all time

...and so on, I think we can all see the pattern: grandiose overstatement followed by defensiveness and indignation when questioned on it.

Welcome to sports douche. The "greatest" questions are asked all the time and being a mod-they make for good discussion. In terms of the three questions I presented above, proud of em. I thought last year was Izzo's best effort and I am extremely proud of the fact that I labeled Durant a potential all time great in November before anybody knew anything about him and before the hype train started. What do ya know? Player of the Year and #2 overall pic. Thanks for reminding me how I was dead on.

I will agree that they make for good discussion, even if much of it is because people disagree with you so voraciously, so thank you for that.

I love Durant, but I think you may be congratulating yourself a bit too soon for him being "one of the greatest of all time". But you were indeed in on him early.

Welcome to sports douche. The "greatest" questions are asked all the time and being a mod-they make for good discussion. In terms of the three questions I presented above, proud of em. I thought last year was Izzo's best effort and I am extremely proud of the fact that I labeled Durant a potential all time great in November before anybody knew anything about him and before the hype train started. What do ya know? Player of the Year and #2 overall pic. Thanks for reminding me how I was dead on.


Durrant was projected as the #2 preseaon.

I will agree that they make for good discussion, even if much of it is because people disagree with you so voraciously, so thank you for that.

I love Durant, but I think you may be congratulating yourself a bit too soon for him being "one of the greatest of all time". But you were indeed in on him early.

Great discussion, that's my job. It may be early, but I stand by my prediction.

Hermy, scouts will be all over these kids and know more than you or I. So projecting him was understandable. However, the average avid basketball fan didn't know hardly anything about him other than he was a good recruit in November. If you go back to the thread, you'll see some people making horrible comparisons because they had no clue.

Excuse me for following the pattern of discussion and expecting victories to back things up. When you throw out "greatest", regardless of whether the kids are 14 or in diapers, I want to know how that will be measured.

Any time people talk about Dan Marino, Charles Barkley, Stockton and Malone, etc - the conversation often drifts over to what they failed to do in their careers. It's the nature of sports. It's one part entertainment, one part business, and the expectation is victories. All I'm saying is that if someone is ready to crown a gorup as the best ever, I'm ready to expect victories.

I'm not simply doing it because it's State. I'm consistant there. Any time UM would have three consecutive top 5 classes, with the final one being the greatest of all time, potnetially/allegedly, I would absolutely expect championships, the biggest kind, NC's - with other smaller accomplishments coming along the way of course. Anything less, whether it was UM football, MSU basketball, UNC baseball, Boston College hockey, Virginia lacrosse - you name it. The expectations are consistantly there for me and you know how pissed I get when my teams don't meet those. You're the same way and don't deny it. Neither of us want anyone to talk to us when our teams lose because we expect results. Even in a lost season of MSU football, you still get pissed with a loss. I'm that way with UM basketball. So it's fair to expect even more from the programs that are actually bringing in top talent. You cannot ever say that I haven't been consistant it that stance. You may hate it about me, but it's the way I always have been and always will be.

Good grief, more of the expectations. If you want to start an MSU basketball expectations post, go right ahead. I was posting about a potential incoming class. You are changing the subject. What is the class measured by? What they are ranked nationally. I'm talking recruiting, that's it. I'm not talking about what they should do, what they are going to do, I'm talking about how talented of a class MSU can bring in.

Should I refer to 2003 as the Pistons "best draft ever", because Darko was a can't miss superstar (that some would have chosen above lebron) and delfino was hyped as a "steal".

Isn't it an insult to the magic and mateen recruiting classes to call the 09 class "the best ever" but not actually expect that class to meet the same standards of excellence already established the aforementioned classes. If you had said "highest rated class ever", that carries a different implication than "best class ever"

Should I refer to 2003 as the Pistons "best draft ever", because Darko was a can't miss superstar (that some would have chosen above lebron) and delfino was hyped as a "steal".

Isn't it an insult to the magic and mateen recruiting classes to call the 09 class "the best ever" but not actually expect that class to meet the same standards of excellence already established the aforementioned classes. If you had said "highest rated class ever", that carries a different implication than "best class ever"

Fine, "highest rated class ever." Done. I can't take some of you fucking Wolverines anymore. Can't even talk about a fucking class without you guys turning it into an arguement. Like I said ALREADY, sure I'll have expectations, but that wasn't the point of the thread. Phonics.

If Izzo is able to get him, Jamil Wilson will be the best player of those mentioned for 2009. That kid is a freak. 6'7" with point guard skills, a combo-forward body and Durrell Summers-esque athleticism. The only thing that needs work is his jumper which can be streaky.

If he gains some consistency on his J, he has a solid chance to end up as one of the top THREE players in the 2009 class before it's all said and done. His upside is that good.

If Izzo is able to get him, Jamil Wilson will be the best player of those mentioned for 2009. That kid is a freak. 6'7" with point guard skills, a combo-forward body and Durrell Summers-esque athleticism. The only thing that needs work is his jumper which can be streaky.

If he gains some consistency on his J, he has a solid chance to end up as one of the top THREE players in the 2009 class before it's all said and done. His upside is that good.

Reeeally? Wow, that's good to hear Jack. I'd have a tough time putting him above Strickland after watching D.S. on video, but I'll believe ya. I'll have to check Wilson's video and give you my opinion.

Reeeally? Wow, that's good to hear Jack. I'd have a tough time putting him above Strickland after watching D.S. on video, but I'll believe ya. I'll have to check Wilson's video and give you my opinion.

One service (Scout) already has Wilson ranked ahead of Strickland where both are 5 star, top 10 ranked players.