After losing Saginaw’s Anthony Roberson to Florida, MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo had to look elsewhere for a guard to invite into his 2002 recruiting class.
Enter 6-foot-4 shooting guard Maurice Ager, of Detroit’s Crockett High, who verbally committed to MSU on Thursday.
“(Landing) Maurice Ager was important after missing Roberson,” Dave Telep of Bluechiphoops.com said Sunday. “He can step in (right away) and shoot the basketball.”
With Ager’s commitment, the 2002 class now has three members. Six-foot-10 forward Paul Davis of Rochester High and 6-foot-8 Delco Rowley of Indianapolis’ Arlington High have already verbally committed.
Izzo’s best recruiting class to date might be the class of 2000, which brought in top 10 prospects guard Marcus Taylor and forward Zach Randolph, but with the signings of two top-25 prospects - Ager and Davis - the class of 2002 is becoming comparable to the 2000 group.
But MSU is not immune to the trend of top college prospects jumping early to the NBA, a tidal wave most big-time programs are still toweling off from.
MSU and its fans will have to recover from the huge void left by NBA draft picks Randolph and swingman Jason Richardson, but Izzo has been able to find equally talented prospects to keep the Spartans competitive.
The class of 2001 includes top 10 recruit Kelvin Torbert, as well as Alan Anderson and Chris Hill. It seems certain Torbert will step in immediately to fill in where Richardson left off. At one time, Torbert was thought to be headed to the NBA Draft, but he kept his commitment to be a part of the Spartan team next season.
“(Kelvin Torbert) is a better athlete than 90 percent of the guys on the floor,” Telep said. “He has a leg up on everyone else.”
And Telep said Spartan fans can expect Davis to fill Randolph’s shoes in 2002.
“Paul Davis can step in right away,” Telep said. “He’s very good in the paint - a big-time recruit.”
With a player like Rowley, MSU will be getting a player similar to Al Anagonye, but with more of an athletic edge, Telep said.
“This recruiting class will keep MSU in the upper echelon of the Big Ten,” Telep said.
