MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo said on National Signing Day on Wednesday that even though he and his assistant coaches only had three open slots for scholarships, the Spartans' 2003-04 recruiting class has been a "treat recruiting season."
"There is no question this is one of the best recruiting classes we've had," Izzo said.
"There is no question all three of the guys we landed are going to be needed. We think we got three guys that fit into the family atmosphere we've created here."
The three recruits who signed letters of intent are Shannon Brown, Brandon Cotton and Drew Naymick.
Brown, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Proviso East High in Maywood, Ill., is the most heralded out of the three. Listed on Rivals.com's Top 100, Brown is slated at No. 10 in the country and is the highest rated point guard.
The Spartans persuaded Brown to not stay in his hometown and play for Big Ten rival Illinois, who was battling with MSU for Brown's signature. Kansas and Duke also heavily recruited Brown.
"Shannon Brown is one of those players that doesn't come around often," Izzo said. "With Shannon Brown, we have a breed of great athlete and he can shoot the ball outside. He has that Jason Richardson that you will see, yet he's a guy that can shoot from long, long range."
Cotton was the earliest player to commit to the Spartans. The 6-foot shooting guard out of Detroit DePorres gave MSU his word while still a junior in high school.
And the early commitment looks to be a solid pickup for the Spartans because Cotton is listed No. 31 on Rivals.com.
"He's played with a very good coach in a very good league," Izzo said.
"He's a player that has tremendous athletic ability and can get in the paint and score in the zone.
"He will bring some excitement, he has some good ups and he has one of the best hanging/leaning shot that's as good in this league as I've ever seen."
The last recruit to commit was Naymick, who took until the end of summer to choose MSU.
The 6-foot-10 center from North Muskegon High had his hands full while playing baseball and football when he wasn't on the court.
"It was a hard decision," Naymick said. "I had four schools in my final four - Michigan, MSU, Ohio State and Stanford -and I felt all the schools were pretty equal."
But there was just something about MSU's success that intrigued Naymick more than the other three schools.
"I also felt personnelwise it was a good decision," he said. "And I think I made the right decision."
Izzo and the rest of the staff were happy to sway Naymick the Green and White's way.
"I think he's going to bring a lot to the table," Izzo said. "He has the ability to score inside, he's got 15-foot range for his size and he's a good free-throw shooter.
"He's a good athlete, and at 6-10, that's critical that you have a very good athlete that has toughness and is an incredible student. So with all these things together we think he has a real good chance to be good in the program."
Dave Telep, director of scouting for TheInsidersHoops.com, ranked MSU's recruiting class fourth in the country.
That is something Izzo is proud of.
"I think these guys are all going to bring something to the table that will help us be a national contender both next year and in the years to come as we look to building an elite program," Izzo said.
Staff writers Romando J. Dixson and Krista Latham contributed to this report.
