Michigan State Recruiting: 2017 basketball targets to keep an eye on

Mar 4, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Bryn Forbes (5) brings the ball up court against the Purdue Boilermakers during the 2nd half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Talk about a guy who has seen his name mentioned in nearly every recruiting database when considering the 2017 basketball class, Gary Trent Jr. is definitely on the rise. The Apple Valley, Minn., native has become one of Rivals.com‘s newest five-stars and he ranks No. 8 in the country as well as the No. 1 overall shooting guard in the class, according to 247Sports.

Related: MSU impresses five-star SG Gary Trent Jr.

In a prior article here at Spartan Ave., we talked about how Trent Jr. claimed the Spartans had a rich tradition and he had high praise for head coach Tom Izzo.

Trent Jr. also stated how the Spartans were one of four teams recruiting him the hardest as Kansas, Duke and Ohio State were the other three. He seems to have MSU high on his list early in the recruiting process and that bodes well for the Spartans as he is one of the hottest names in the country right now.

This isn’t the first five-star guard from Apple Valley, Minn., who the Spartans have been after in recent years, however, as Tyus Jones was high on Michigan State’s list before he and Jahlil Okafor picked Duke as a package deal.

Michigan State will hope for better luck in this scenario as Trent Jr. is an absolute stud.

Next: 1. Brian Bowen, SF, 5-star