Watching a slew of projected first-round picks withdraw their names from the NBA Draft this week gave Michigan State fans a sliver of hope that Jase Richardson would be next.
Guys like Tahaad Pettiford, Labaron Philon, and Yaxel Lendeborg, to name a few, opted to return to college for one more season after testing the draft process. It would only be right if Richardson decided to spend one more year at Michigan State instead of staying in the NBA Draft, but as the midnight deadline on Wednesday drew nearer, it was clear he wasn't coming back.
Fans who hoped to wake up to some good news about Jase returning to Michigan State for his sophomore year were sadly let down as the deadline passed without a murmur.
So with that, we can officially close the book on Richardson's career at Michigan State and he gave us one of the most memorable seasons that we can remember. It was easily the most memorable season since Cassius Winston was still in town running the point.
It's also likely that the Spartans won't see another Richardson suit up in the green and white -- at least not any time soon. Tom Izzo has been recruiting Jaxon Richardson, per his dad and MSU legend Jason Richardson, but not to the level of some other contenders. It feels like Jaxon wants to forge his own path and veer away from where his dad and brother went.
Jase is going to be missed not just because he was an incredible player, but he was also a great teammate. Everyone loved him and he poured everything he had into the program.
Not many freshmen can have the type of impact he had, but he helped get the program back on the right track with its first Big Ten title since 2020.
Now we'll have to cheer him on at the next level.