Michigan State basketball making big moves for 3-star PF Julius Marble

Can Michigan State basketball land one of its top remaining targets for the class of 2019 in three-star power forward Julius Marble from Texas?

Missing out on Isaiah Stewart and Vernon Carey Jr. hurts and Tom Izzo has to feel as if his time to land one of those top-five recruits will come in the near-future, but he has Michigan State after a more under-the-radar name in the 2019 class who could be a nice late addition: Julius Marble.

The three-star power forward from Dallas, Texas, is one of the most overlooked prospects in the class but he’s been one of the fastest-rising names of late. He’s received offers from Boston College, Oklahoma State and, of course, Michigan State over the past month and he could be closing in on a decision soon.

In fact, Dwayne Stephens and Tom Izzo went down to Texas on Tuesday and paid Marble a visit.

On Wednesday, Jake Weingarten reported that Marble is likely to take a visit to Michigan State soon, which can only help the Spartans’ chances before more big names get involved. His visit to East Lansing is expected to take place next weekend, assuming that means he’ll be in town for the Michigan game on senior day.

If that’s the case, winning him over may not be all that difficult as he’ll be present for the best home atmosphere of the season with an opportunity for the Spartans to win the regular season Big Ten title (assuming they don’t have slip-ups against Indiana and Nebraska) and it could be Izzo’s 600th win.

Before you go into his rankings and complain about the fact that he’s ranked just No. 333 in the country, per the 247Sports Composite, realize that he’s been a late bloomer and big names are just starting to take notice.

This kid has what it takes to play in the Big Ten with his 6-8, 225-pound frame and he may be an All-Big Ten-caliber performer 2-3 years down the line with the improvement Michigan State bigs have had over the course of their careers.

Marble has a decent inside game that could use some work as he continues to get stronger. He has excellent vision for a big man and can make nifty passes and even handle the ball early on fast-breaks. He has a decent mid-range jumper and that’s something he could add to his arsenal as time goes on.

Could we be on commitment watch next weekend when Marble and the Wolverines come to town for a big senior night? It’s starting to feel that way.