Michigan State Basketball: Emoni Bates commitment impact felt off court

Team morale gets an instant boost

This is a win for everybody. The guys who are leaving this program after the coming season know that the team will be left in good hands. Guys who will be here for 2021 or 2022 have to be extremely excited to play with a once-in-a-generation talent. Nobody loses in this situation.

The players who are looking forward to standing beside Emoni Bates in a Spartan uniform will want to improve. They know that their best shot to win an NCAA title will be with Emoni and they’ll be putting in that extra work to get themselves to an elite level. I’m looking at Gabe Brown, who was supposedly a key piece in the recruitment of Bates.

The four-year guys like Thomas Kithier, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Julius Marble also benefit. If Emoni brings Michigan State another championship, these will be the names beside his on the banner.

With this recruitment, Tom Izzo turned a promising MSU future into a guaranteed championship-contending team that will have eyes on them for at least the next few years.