Michigan State basketball still has shot at 5-star SF Keion Brooks after all

For a couple of months, it looked like Michigan State basketball was out of the Keion Brooks sweepstakes, but he’s taking a visit on Sunday afternoon.

When Vernon Carey committed to Duke, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Michigan State would finish its class out with, at the very least, Isaiah Stewart. He, too, was being courted by the Blue Devils, which seemed to be the Spartans’ main competition, but there was no way he’d pick the same school as a fellow five-star big man.

No chance.

Well, Stewart didn’t pick Duke, but he also didn’t choose the Spartans. He picked Washington where he had ties with the coaching staff which had been close with him since the beginning of his recruitment.

All hope for one of Tom Izzo’s best classes was seemingly lost. Malik Hall and Rocket Watts were good gets, but not enough to make up for the potential loss of Nick Ward and Kenny Goins. Finding another post recruit is likely out of the picture unless Izzo looks at the grad transfer route or for an under-the-radar guy like Julius Marble but there’s another prospect who could add some scoring from the wing.

People seem to have forgotten about Keion Brooks, though he doesn’t have the post presence necessary to make up for some losses next season.

The five-star small forward from Fort Wayne, Ind., was essentially an afterthought when Michigan State landed Hall. They play the same position and have the same body type so what would be the point of adding another player on the wing, right?

Well, Goins has the ability to play on the wing as well as Matt McQuaid which will open up two spots to fill while Watts could play primarily point to back Cassius Winston up and give him the breaks he desperately needs.

Hall and Brooks could both see plenty of time if the latter was to surprise everyone and choose the Spartans.

Brooks cancelled a visit to East Lansing a little over a month ago and it looked like Michigan State was bowing out, but reports indicated that he would be on campus Sunday for the Ohio State game, showing that the Spartans still have a shot to land the five-star.

That’s huge for the 2019 class which could use more pieces to put together a national title run in 2019-20 with Winston, Ward and Josh Langford as seniors.

Don’t count the Spartans out of this recruitment just yet, though they will have to duke it out with North Carolina, Indiana and Kentucky.