MSU's newest Spartan was in Spartan Stadium on Saturday - but it wasn't to play football.
The MSU men's basketball program received their first verbal commitment for the 2005 recruiting class on Saturday in Bay City Central junior Eric Devendorf. Devendorf, a self-described "running" 6-foot-3 shooting guard, will play two more seasons of prep basketball before suiting up for men's head basketball coach Tom Izzo.
"I got along real well with the coaching staff and I think I'm pretty good friends with Alan Anderson and all of the team," Devendorf said of his decision. "The campus, close to home, you really can't beat it - not much more you can ask for."
Devendorf made his verbal commitment to MSU on Saturday afternoon following the MSU football team's 26-21 win over Western Michigan. Fellow recruiting prospects Goran Suton, a 6-10 center from Lansing Everett, and Shaun Pruitt, a 6-8 power forward from Aurora, Ill., were also in attendance.
As a sophomore at Bay City Central, Devendorf said he averaged 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He was named an All-State honorable mention by the Detroit Free Press and his recruitment stock rose dramatically after a strong overall performance at the Adidas ABCD Camp this July.
"Recruitment-wise it was huge," Devendorf said of his camp showing. "My recruitment went up 20 times. I know I can play against the best players in the nation, I just had to prove it to everyone else that I could."
Devendorf, who described himself as a mixture of Pistol Pete Maravich and Duke's J.J. Reddick, had been courted by Illinois, Notre Dame, Louisville, Michigan, Marquette, Florida, Wake Forest and Syracuse before his decision to commit to the Spartans.
"I like to run, I like to get up and down," he said. "If (MSU) is trying to do that, I'm all for it. I like to get my teammates involved."
Izzo and MSU are not allowed to comment on Devendorf - or any other verbal commitments to the basketball team - until November when players sign a letter of intent to play for the program.
Two scholarships remain for the 2004 recruiting class. Point guard Drew Neitzel of Wyoming, Mich., and forward Marquise Gray from Flint comprise the class so far, with more recruits expected to commit this fall.
