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Michigan State Basketball: Recruiting Target Mark Smith Commits to Illinois

By Adam Zdroik

Mar 19, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo looks on during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo looks on during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball recruiting target and four-star guard Mark Smith announced Wednesday night which school he would attend in the fall.

For the second-straight day, Michigan State basketball received bad news from a recruit. Brandon McCoy made his decision Tuesday night to head to UNLV and Mark Smith announced Wednesday via press conference at Edwardsville (Ill.) High School that he’ll be headed to Illinois to play for new head coach Brad Underwood.

Smith is a four-star combo guard that had picked up steam in recruiting circles over the last couple weeks receiving interest from the likes of Duke and Kentucky. But in the end, Smith was deciding between two Big Ten schools — Illinois and Michigan State — with his hometown Illini being the choice.

Similar to McCoy, the absence of Smith will mainly hurt the depth of Michigan State, especially this season with National Championship aspirations. Smith would’ve given Tom Izzo another piece to work with in the backcourt and challenged guys like Matt McQuaid and Joshua Langford to perform more consistently.

There is also the issue of finding someone to replace Alvis Ellis III’s minutes and it’s hard to see Kyle Ahrens doing that.

Instead, the Spartans will likely have to go a bit bigger for the 2017-18 season with Miles Bridges playing more at small forward with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Gavin Schilling on the roster. Not getting Smith and McCoy hurts now, but this is still a team that should compete with the best in the country next season.

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