Michigan State Recruiting: 10 priority 2017 basketball targets

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Feb 14, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Eron Harris (14) reacts to a play during the second half of a game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

There may not be a bigger ‘must-have’ in the 2017 class than La Lumiere’s Brian Bowen. Originally from Saginaw, Bowen already has ties to the Michigan State program, including his relation to former Spartan superstar and NBA Dunk Contest champion, Jason Richardson.

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Bowen’s father is actually Richardson’s uncle and the two have been close for quite some time. Bowen, nicknamed “Tugs” has been learning from Richardson throughout his basketball career and you know that Jason has to be in his ear about how great MSU is and how solid of a coach Tom Izzo is.

If he wants to win a national title in college, Michigan State is probably the school he should decide on, Richardson is probably saying.

Izzo visited the five-star small forward about a month ago and he had a visit to East Lansing a month prior to that. He’s been in constant contact with the Michigan State staff and he was also on campus for the Oregon game in which hundreds of basketball and football recruits attended.

Bowen is priority No. 1 and ranks No. 20 in the country and as the fifth-best small forward, according to 247Sports. Besides MSU, he holds offers from Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Louisville, Missouri and Texas, among a few others.

The Saginaw-native will need to add some meat on his 6-foot-7, 185-pound frame before he gets to East Lansing in 2017, though.

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