Michigan State Basketball: Chances to land 5-star SG Max Christie

Max Christie spoke recently about his visit with Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball and what schools are recruiting him the hardest.

Recruiting news has been few and far between these days thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak postponing visits and face-to-face meetings.

Coaches have had to come up with more creative ways to keep in contact with recruits outside of just texting and calling and sometimes that means video-chatting and giving virtual tours of facilities. That’s been harder on Michigan State football than it has been on basketball because the Spartans have a new coaching staff in place on the gridiron and need some momentum.

As for basketball, Tom Izzo got one final chance to host prospects before the season was eventually cancelled which included five-star shooting guard Max Christie on March 7.

Christie was in town on senior day weekend and got to see what goes on behind the scenes as the Spartans prepared for a Big Ten title-clinching season finale against Ohio State. He liked what he saw and even spoke recently to Stockrisers’ Jake Weingarten about Michigan State as well as the schools recruiting him the hardest lately.

What he said about the Spartans was all positive, noting that the staff and players made him feel at home but it was one omission that was surprising from the interview: Duke.

The Blue Devils have been the favorite in the Illinois-native’s recruitment all along, but he didn’t mention them as one of the programs that have been putting in most of the effort lately. Does that mean Coach K and Duke are just a given? Possibly, but it could also open the door for the Spartans.

Michigan State was his first official visit and the last one he could take before this pandemic and he admitted that he may be close to making a decision. Do the Spartans stand a chance at landing the nation’s No. 13 recruit and top shooting guard?

I would say yes, but it’s going to take some long-distance recruiting over the next couple of weeks to help him take that chance. The Spartans will have a need in the backcourt in 2021-22 and Christie would come in right away and compete. Do the Spartans stand a good chance? That answer may be a little different. While Michigan State was his last visit and he liked what he saw, it still had some major ground to make up.

Christie is heavy on Duke, even if the Blue Devils weren’t mentioned in his interview, and Villanova, Michigan, Ohio State and Purdue are all in the running as well.

If I were to put a number on Michigan State’s chances to land the five-star guard from Illinois, it’d probably be close to 10-15 percent. A lot can change in the coming weeks with more calls with coaches, but the Spartans were already fighting an uphill battle.