Michigan State basketball making push for 5-star guard Josiah James

Although Josiah James wasn’t exactly a name on the radar for fans before Sunday, an offer and strong push by Michigan State changes things.

Right when it looked as if Michigan State’s targets in the 2019 class were all but decided, Tom Izzo extended another offer on Sunday to five-star combo guard Josiah James.

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While it may seem a little late to get involved with a five-star prospect who has already developed relationships with five programs who are working the hardest to land him, per Zagsblog, there’s a good chance he has been in contact with Izzo for a while and the two sides just wanted to gauge mutual interest.

Moreover, James is the son of Kurt James, a Michigan State forward from 1979-82.

The legacy recruit received his offer from Michigan State over the weekend after Izzo stopped in to watch him play.

James said that South Carolina, Clemson, Virginia, Texas and Florida were all making strong pushes for him, but the Spartans’ recent offer is an exciting one, according to Zagsblog.

"“A school that’s definitely been showing me a lot of interest of late is Michigan State,” said James. “They were at my last game and Coach [Tom] Izzo is coming down later this week. It was great to receive an offer from them because that’s my dad’s alma mater and that would be great for my family.“That’s really the only school,” said James on the Spartans. “If I don’t receive any more offers, I’m not gonna complain about it. I’m fine right where I am. I’m just gonna keep working on me.”"

The five-star guard from Charleston, S.C., revealed that Izzo is coming down to visit him later this week and that it would be “great for my family” if he attended Michigan State. This could be the offer he was waiting for — although he doesn’t plan to commit soon.

James is an intriguing prospect because of his size and ability to play the point guard position. He is long, can handle the ball, defends well and has a nice stroke from distance. His athleticism is solid, too, and he has no problem creating his own shots.

This is the type of kid who could be a triple-double threat for the Spartans with his 6-foot-6, 195-pound frame at the point guard position.

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While Michigan State may be looking at Harlond Beverly and Rocket Watts primarily at point guard in 2019, don’t sleep on a guy like James to come in as a combo guard and play a Josh Langford-like role. He’s ranked the No. 18 overall prospect and third-best combo guard in the nation, per 247Sports.