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Michigan State Spartans Look Towards Class of 2016: Nick Ward Commits

By Chris Godfrey

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After the Michigan State Spartans were bounced from this season’s Final Four, head coach Tom Izzo mentioned during the postgame press conference that the game of college basketball was changing and that he needed to change the way he recruited. Since that statement, Sparty has reeled off a string of recruiting victories, and the latest of them was receiving a commitment from Class of 2016 post prospect Nick Ward.

Ward, at 6’8 and 245 pounds, reminds some of Izzo’s Class of 2015 centerpiece Caleb Swanigan (mostly due to his significant size and skill combo). Though he is currently ranked 47th in his class by ESPN, it’s expected that he will make a major move upwards through the rankings as next season progresses. Just before committing, he unleashed a string of impressive performances at EYBL Session #2 in Lexington. He was a first team all-tournament performer at the event, which has successfully made the rest of the nation aware of his significant improvement.

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The Class of 2016 is expected to be a crucial group for Izzo, and the early returns seem to convey that the Spartans are answering the bell on the recruiting trail. The Spartans are in the mix for several prospects that currently find themselves ranked on ESPN’s list of top high school juniors.

While Ward will be a welcomed addition, he will probably be adding depth to a position of strength, considering Swanigan and Gavin Schilling could return to the Spartan front court for the 2016-2017 season. Izzo’s most important targets are a trio of local prospects — top 40 point guard Cassius Winston, and elite wing prospects Miles Bridges and Josh Jackson. Winston would be a definitive stabilizer to the point guard position and Bridges and/or Jackson would fill the void that a graduating Denzel Valentine will leave in the lineup after next season.

Ward is familiar with all three of the Spartans’ other targets, but he believes he can bring at least two of the aforementioned to East Lansing. It’s safe to assume that Ward was probably very chummy with Bridges and Winston while the three of them were all at EYBL Lexington.

Winston could be the nation’s best point guard by the end of the year (and even if he isn’t, I’ll say he is because he goes to the same high school that I attended, University of Detroit Jesuit). He’s developed a sterling reputation as a facilitator who can also take over a game with his scoring if necessary. Winston is the prototype Izzo recruit, a player who can contribute championship-level play for a full four years before going to the pros. Landing Winston may be the Spartans top priority at this point in the game. Izzo will face stiff competition from their in-state rivals at Michigan when it comes to luring Winston.

Bridges is ranked seventh in the Class of 2016 by ESPN, and recently caught the attention of the Kentucky Wildcats, who decided to offer him a scholarship after the recent EYBL Lexington. This means that the rest of the country has officially labeled him an NBA-caliber talent. He’ll almost certainly be a consensus All-American by this time next year when he will be forced to make a decision that drastically influence the balance of power in the Big Ten.

Josh Jackson is the long shot of the group. His talents have already projected him as a top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft (yes, mocks of the 2017 NBA Draft exist). If he were to commit to the Spartans, he would be Izzo’s highest ranked commit ever. In the past, Izzo has shied away from recruiting “one-and-done” talents like Jackson, but many believe that Izzo may have had an epiphany when his team was outclassed (in terms of talent) against Duke and their trio of NBA-ready freshmen. This is the commit that could make the class truly special. If Winston and Bridges join Ward and pledge to Michigan State, Jackson would be forced to seriously consider joining his former summer teammates for one last ride before going pro.

If Izzo lands the entire trio in addition to Ward, he could flirt with the idea of bringing in the nation’s number one recruiting class to join a solid core of returning talent. After taking a talent barren team of Spartans to the Final Four, Izzo could be unbeatable if his recruiting catches up to his incredible knack for progressing and improving basketball teams through the course of the season. After many years in the game, Izzo is now evolving into a recruiter of top-tier talent. If he can find success with All-American prospects, the nation could be on the brink of witnessing Spartan dominance in the near future.

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