Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: Tom Izzo’s top recruiting victories

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 13, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans coach Tom Izzo coaches on the sidelines against the Purdue Boilermakers during the Big Ten conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Michigan State defeats Purdue 66-62. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan State Spartans coach Tom Izzo coaches on the sidelines against the Purdue Boilermakers during the Big Ten conference tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Michigan State defeats Purdue 66-62. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 10
Next
Jan 20, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Deyonta Davis (23) is defended by Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Nick Fuller (23) during the 1st half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 20, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Deyonta Davis (23) is defended by Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Nick Fuller (23) during the 1st half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

Deyonta Davis may have been a four-star recruit, but he was ranked No. 26 in the country and just one spot from being a five-star, so he should be included on this list. Couple that with the fact that he’s one of Izzo’s very few one-and-done recruits and Davis jumps out as one of the most talented players in the past decade.

According to Kyle Austin of MLive, the Spartans didn’t feel like they were going to land Davis back in 2013 when he visited East Lansing.

"The sought-after recruit was in East Lansing for an important visit, and things didn’t seem to be going well. It was 2013, and Michigan State players, like everyone else who met Davis, his future teammates were mostly met with one or two-word responses and a stoic expression. That poker face masked the fact that Davis leaned toward Michigan State from the start, spurning interest from the likes of Michigan, Indiana, Iowa State and others."

The big power forward, who won Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award, earned McDonald’s All-America honors and showed the most potential of any recent Michigan State commit. This was a huge victory for Izzo and the gang and it seemed like he’d be a two or three-year player in the green and white.

After an up-and-down freshman season in 2015-16, Davis decided that he would declare for the NBA Draft and hire an agent — his college playing days were over.

This came as a bit of a surprise seeing as he averaged just 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but he is projected as a lottery pick based on potential and acted on it. One more year may have turned him into a top-five pick and more NBA-ready, but we will never know for sure.

Next: 8. Delvon Roe

Home/Recruiting