East Lansing — At 70 years old and in his 31st season as Michigan State’s head coach, Tom Izzo is proving he can still recruit with the best of them.
Michigan State’s men’s basketball program put the finishing touches on a top-five recruiting class Friday when 7-foot, 244-pound center Ethan Taylor announced his commitment. Alongside Taylor, the Spartans’ class includes shooting guard Jasiah Jervis, point guard Carlos Medlock Jr. and forward Julius Avent. Taylor is a five-star prospect. The other three are four-star recruits.
“I’m really excited,” Izzo said on his pregame radio show before Thursday’s 79-60 win over San Jose State.
After pledging to the Spartans on a CBS Sports live feed, Taylor was asked what MSU fans should expect from him.
“They’re going to get a hard worker,” he said. “I’m going to hit the ground running.”
Before Taylor’s commitment Michigan State’s class ranked fifth in the country, according to 247Sports, and could rise higher. It’s Izzo’s highest rated class since signing the third-best class in 2023, a group that included current point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and star forward Coen Carr, in addition to forward Xavier Booker and guard Gehrig Normand, who transferred out over the offseason.
Jervis (6-4, 190) may be the crown jewel of the class, a two-way guard for whom Izzo could hardly contain his praise. The Bronx product is currently playing at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, N.Y. He ranks 35th among all players nationally and third among shooting guards. What Izzo really likes is his shot, which is badly needed for a team that has struggled to shoot the past two seasons.
“The cherry of that group is Jervis,” Izzo said. “… I think he’ll end up a McDonald’s (All-American) guy, but he’s a guy that we like. Compare him a little to Gary Harris that he can play both ends of the court. He can really shoot the ball, which we need. And, he can really defend the ball. And when you can do those two things, that puts you in a special class.”
Taylor is one of the best centers in his class. Rivals and 247Sports both rank him second at his position behind Houston pledge Arafan Diane. Taylor chose Michigan State on the final day of the early signing period over Kansas, Indiana, Oregon and Oklahoma. He’s playing his senior year at Link Academy in Branson, Mo., after starting his high school career at Shawnee Mission Northwest in Kansas.
Manning the point for that same Link Academy team is Medlock Jr. (5-11, 165) another crafty guard with many of the tools Izzo likes to see out of his point guards. Scouts praise the Detroiter and former Wayne Memorial star for his creativity and motor, though he is undersized. The 247Sports Composite ranks him eighth among all point guards in the country. Medlock’s father, Carlos Medlock Sr., was a 1,000-point scorer at Eastern Michigan in the late 2000s.
“C.J. is just a dynamite little point guard that’s got electrifying speed and he can shoot the ball,” Izzo said. “Kind of reminds me of a Kalin Lucas-type kid.”
Avent (6-7, 220) brings the frame to be a bully in the paint. He’s the 13th ranked power forward in his class, currently playing for Oradell Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. His father, Anthony Avent, played in a national championship game at Seton Hall and was a first-round NBA draft pick who played six years in the league.
“Julius is kind of a swing forward,” Izzo said. “He can play a couple different positions. His dad was a great player at Seton Hall and then a good player in the pros.”
Michigan State will graduate five players from this year’s team: center Carson Cooper, forward Jaxon Kohler, and guards Trey Fort, Denham Wojcik and Nick Sanders. That leaves a roster spot open for the transfer portal in the spring, or for a late addition to the freshman class.
There’s a long season to go before then. Up next for the 17th-ranked Spartans: Tuesday’s Champions Classic matchup with No. 9 Kentucky, to be played at Madison Square Garden.
Fralick adds one in ‘26 class
Michigan State’s women’s basketball team added a single player Friday, but it just so happens to be the top player in the state.
Lilly Williams, a 6-5 center from Howell, is the only player in head coach Robyn Fralick’s class. The 247Sports Composite ranked her fifth among all centers in the country, 29th among all players. Williams is good enough as a prospect that the Spartans’ class ranks 26th in the country, and eighth among the 18 Big Ten schools.
“We are thrilled to add Lilly Williams to the Michigan State women’s basketball program,” Fralick said in a statement released by MSU. “Lilly has an incredible Spartan pride, and we have loved getting to know her and her family through the recruiting process. She brings great size, athleticism, and a physical presence to our team. We love the way she has continued to develop, and we are very excited to have her in Spartan uniform soon.”
Williams’ father Joshua played basketball for Navy, and so did her sister Abigail at Bethel (Ind.). Her brother Caleb played college football at Indiana Wesleyan, a school in the NAIA.
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