A little over a decade ago in the 2015 class, Michigan State was in the mix for a five-star point guard from Lincolnshire, Ill., named Jalen Brunson.
Tom Izzo made Brunson a clear priority in the 2015 class but he ended up canceling his official visit to East Lansing before narrowing his teams down to two: Illinois and Villanova.
Obviously we all know which program he picked as he became a superstar at Villanova, winning a couple of national titles before getting drafted in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft. Looking back, the Dallas Mavericks got a massive steal and I bet they wish they would have re-signed him instead of letting him walk to the New York Knicks where he just led them to their first NBA title in decades as the Finals MVP.
Watching Brunson dominate in the NBA Playoffs was a treat outside of all the flopping that every team has seemed to deploy. The former Villanova point guard was fun to watch.
Imagine how different Michigan State’s 2015-18 seasons would have looked if Brunson chose the Spartans instead of Villanova. Well, he was apparently closer to becoming a Spartan than you think.
According to The Athletic’s New York Knicks writer James Edwards III, Brunson wanted to go to Michigan State and he loved Izzo, but he canceled his visit because he was afraid he would like it too much. Honestly, that’s a new way to come in second place for an elite recruit who eventually became an NBA star.
New York Knicks writer @JLEdwardsIII on Jalen Brunson:
— Moneybagg (@MoneybaggMSU) June 17, 2026
“He wanted to go to Michigan State. He loved Tom Izzo. He didn’t visit because he was afraid that he’d like it too much and he wanted to stay with Villanova.”
Add another to the list.@couchandtherube pic.twitter.com/aMsQd9s7Rk
Nothing surprises me anymore but I’m curious as to how close he actually was to committing to Michigan State and if the reason he canceled his visit was because of what Edwards said.
I’d love to hear Izzo’s side of this story.
Landing Jalen Brunson would have affected Cassius Winston
Everything worked out the way it was supposed to with Brunson going to Villanova and then Cassius Winston committing to Michigan State a year later.
Obviously landing Brunson would have been really interesting and it makes you wonder if Michigan State would have won the titles that Villanova did if that were the case. In terms of just numbers, Cassius was around one year longer so he had higher career totals, but he was a better passer at the collegiate level and arguably a better scorer.
Unfortunately, Cassius never won a national title and Brunson had two.
Maybe Cassius would have still picked Michigan State if Brunson came and just waited until his sophomore or junior year to really take the reins. Those teams with Brunson and Cassius would have fed families.
Another painful “Almost Spartan” story to add to the list.
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