Tom Izzo has already compared Jeremy Fears Jr. to Mateen Cleaves and Jasiah Jervis to Gary Harris but now he has another comparison for one of his bright young stars that fans will love.
Izzo had some glowing praise for Carlos Medlock Jr. after Monday’s season opener, likening him to Kalin Lucas.
Medlock “has a little Kalin Lucas in him” according to Izzo which was on display against Quinnipiac as he scored nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in 14 minutes. He scored all of his points in the first half during a red-hot stretch but he acted more as a facilitator in the second half, finishing with four assists and no turnovers.
Being compared to a brand-new Michigan State Hall of Famer is quite the praise for Medlock who did flash a Lucas-like ability to score in bunches, craftiness, quickness, and a high basketball IQ. After a shaky couple of exhibition games, he looked like he belonged on Monday.
The two do have a lot of similarities.
Lucas was a smaller 6-foot-1 point guard who played larger than his frame and who was never afraid to hunt for his own shot. He played with a ton of energy and scored in bunches in a variety of different ways. Medlock is a 5-foot-11 point guard who plays larger than his frame and is definitely not afraid to look for his own shot and energy is his middle name. He, too, can score in bunches as he showed on Monday night.
Michigan State now has guys who show flashes of Cleaves, Harris, and now Lucas.
That feels like the recipe for a national title, if you ask me.
Michigan State’s backcourt has insane potential
Michigan State has one of the best backcourts in America and it’s somehow flying under the radar despite the best college basketball player leading said backcourt.
Fears is a preseason All-American and arguably the best player in college basketball, Jervis is one of the best freshmen in the country who can average 15 a game, Medlock is one of the better backup point guards in the nation who can score in bunches, Jordan Scott is a future pro who does all the right things, and Teng is a 3-point specialist.
This is the type of backcourt that can win 30-plus games and make a run to the Final Four.
When the frontcourt catches up, that’s when we can really start talking about a national title and I think it took a really good step in the right direction against Quinnipiac.
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