Tom Izzo has found himself in yet another battle with Michigan. Michigan State’s head coach is no stranger to doing battle with the Wolverines both on and off the court.
On the court, Izzo has a 36-16 career record against the Wolverines. Off the court, as recently as this season, Izzo had some words for Dusty May regarding Jeremy Fears Jr.’s “dirty” play. It feels like Izzo is always going head-to-head with Michigan in one way or another.
On Thursday, another battle with Michigan revealed itself. The Spartans and Wolverines made the cut for recently-offered four-star New Jersey-based center Kamsi Awaka.
Along with Michigan and Michigan State, Florida, Arizona, and UConn made the talented big man’s final five. He has yet to announce his decision date, but one would assume that he’ll take his official visits before committing.
This is the first recruit in the 2027 cycle who has named both Michigan and Michigan State on his final list which isn’t incredibly surprising when you consider that Izzo has offered recruits from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Florida, and Kansas. It’s tough to run into one another when the recruiting is this national.
It’s also notable that Izzo has only extended one offer to an in-state recruit and that was Kingston Thomas, the three-star legacy recruit.
Izzo has gone national.
Kamsi Awaka fits the Tom Izzo mold
When you think of centers during the Izzo era, toughness and physicality come to mind. Guys like Derrick Nix, Nick Ward, and Xavier Tillman all embodied the toughness and physicality that Izzo looks for in his big men and Awaka fits that mold.
Awaka isn’t going to be a floor-spacer early on, but Izzo has developed several guys into 3-point shooters. Heck, Tillman was launching threes by the time he was a junior.
The New Jersey product is 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds which just shows that he’s a load to handle in the post. He has a 7-foot-4 wingspan which benefits his elite rim-protecting ability and he can be a nice pick-and-roll threat. He’s much more of a back-to-the-basket scorer than anyone Michigan State has had at center since Tillman.
It’s unclear who — between Jaydn Jenkins and Awaka — is the No. 1 center target in Izzo’s 2027 recruiting class, but surely he’d love to beat Michigan again.
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