A handful of former Michigan State basketball stars have sons at the high school level who have become legitimate Division 1 prospects.
Heck, just last season, Jason Richardson’s son played for Tom Izzo and Michigan State. Jase Richardson was one of the best players on the team and improved his stock from four-star status into a first-round pick selection.
Richardson followed up Davis Smith, Steve Smith’s son, who walked on and played for Izzo previously. He spent four years in East Lansing, playing for his dad’s alma mater.
There’s also Mateen Cleaves Jr. whose dad needs no introduction, and Kingston Thomas, the son of David Thomas. Both have offers from Michigan State but there is another former player’s son who doesn’t hold an offer from Izzo who might just end up being better than most of the guys mentioned above, despite his modest recruiting ranking.
KJ Torbert, the son of former Spartan star Kelvin Torbert, is committed to Tum Tum Nairn and Bowling Green and he just won Michigan’s Mr. Basketball award.
East Lansing’s K.J. Torbert is the 2026 Michigan Mr. Basketball winner.
— Tyler Driesenga (@tdriesenga3) March 9, 2026
He and his father, Kelvin Torbert Sr., become the first father-son duo to both win the award. pic.twitter.com/QRPCKFkHPV
The Torberts are now the first father-son duo to win the coveted award in the state of Michigan as his dad won it back in 2001 after playing his high school ball at Flint Northwestern. KJ is playing at East Lansing, so right in Izzo’s backyard, and I honestly wouldn’t be all that shocked to see him star at Bowling Green and look at Michigan State as a potential transfer destination.
I won’t look too far ahead, though. It’s cool to see the younger Torbert complete the father-son Mr. Basketball sweep 25 years later.
Kelvin Torbert had an up-and-down Spartan career
When Torbert came to Michigan State back in 2001, he was considered one of the best recruits in the country, and he averaged over 8.0 points per game as a true freshman.
It looked like he was about to be a superstar in East Lansing.
Unfortunately, he never quite took off but he still starred on some good teams, including a Final Four team in 2005. He had some injury issues, but he stuck with Izzo and the Spartans throughout his career and he finished with over 1,000 career points, 400-plus rebounds, and 200-plus assists. He had an impressive career in East Lansing.
Now his son is going to play for another former Izzo player at Bowling Green.