Michigan State Basketball: 4-star PF Tarris Reed is a name to watch

Michigan State basketball will be looking for a replacement for Enoch Boakye in the 2022 recruiting class and that’s where Tarris Reed comes in.

To say the Enoch Boakye news this week was crushing would be an understatement. But to say it was shocking would be a lie.

Michigan State fans were looking forward to a potential 2021 recruiting class that included Max Christie, Jaden Akins, Emoni Bates, Pierre Brooks and Boakye. It looked like a potential future starting lineup and the post play was arguably the thing fans were looking forward to most after such a mediocre season in the paint in 2020-21.

But Boakye pulled the rug from underneath everyone this week when he revealed that his decision to de-commit was based on the returning pieces MSU had for next season.

The first question on everyone’s minds after this move was, “Who the heck is going to replace him in the post?”

If he was going to reclassify, that means Michigan State will need to find a post prospect for the 2021-22 season or hope that Marcus Bingham Jr., Julius Marble and Mady Sissoko progress at a rapid rate this offseason. Or Tom Izzo could hit the transfer portal.

Or he can wait until 2022 when Tarris Reed would be a freshman.

The four-star power forward from Saint Louis, Mo., has been tabbed as a name to watch for Michigan State in the 2022 class. He could be that replacement recruit for Boakye but he’s not exactly a “Plan B” recruit. He’s most programs’ “Plan A” and he was already on the Spartans’ radar before Boakye de-committed.

Reed is a solid prospect who definitely fits that Izzo mold.

Reed could afford to be a little stronger in the post but that will come when he adds some muscle to his frame and gets more confident in his post game. He’s someone who could thrive in East Lansing.

The four-star Missouri-native is ranked the No. 96 prospect in the class and 19th-best power forward, according to the composite.