Michigan State Basketball: Rocket Watts rising to top of 2019 recruiting board

Michigan State basketball has missed out on a couple of major targets in its 2019 class recently, making Rocket Watts a must-have recruit.

Just a few short months ago, Rocket Watts was a local prospect who was prominent on Michigan State’s radar, but he seemed to be looking elsewhere.

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It didn’t seem like a huge deal because Tom Izzo would be able to visit him with ease as he played just down the road in Detroit for Old Redford High. Things have changed, though.

Watts has since transferred to Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio, with his teammate Isaiah Jackson and getting him to return home for college ball won’t be a walk in the park.

As September wears on and the 2018-19 season approached with no commitments in the Spartans’ 2019 class, Izzo is putting in the work needed to get things going, especially after missing out on Terry Armstrong and Josiah James in recent days.

Getting an official visit from Watts would be a big move for the Spartans, or just any visit at all, before he commits. He is familiar with the MSU program, but getting that relationship strengthened between him, the coaching staff and the players is extremely important.

Watts is rocketing — lame joke, I know — to the top of the Spartans’ 2019 board, and deservedly so. He’s one of the top players in the class and played most of his high school ball in Michigan State’s backyard. The Spartans have an outside shot to land him — Florida State is the favorite — but they’ll need to put in the work.

A couple of months ago, Watts wasn’t even thought to be a top option for Michigan State, but Izzo may finally feel the pressure to get the class going.