Up until last week, it was a foregone conclusion that consensus Top 10 basketball recruit Delvon Roe would choose North Carolina over MSU. But then the rumors began that Roe, a power forward from St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, was favoring the Spartans.
And on Tuesday, Roe made it official at a press conference by verbally committing to be part of Tom Izzo's 2008 recruiting class.
Dave Telep, the national recruiting analyst for Scout.com, credits Izzo and his staff for continuing to recruit Roe even when it appeared he was going to be a Tar Heel.
"MSU just did an excellent job of just hanging around, and sometimes at the end of the day, your patience and stick-to-itiveness get rewarded," Telep said. "You have to give MSU a lot of credit because in many instances when you are perceived to be out of a race, it's really easy to go, 'Forget it, we're done, we're not going to get him,' and that's not the case. (MSU) just hung around."
Another reason Roe picked MSU over North Carolina is because East Lansing is closer to home, and Roe "would be a centerpiece of the MSU attack, whereas North Carolina is loaded with their roster now," said Jerry Meyer, Rivals.com's national recruiting analyst.
Roe, ranked the No. 2 power forward in the 2008 class by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, will bring a unique style of play to MSU's frontcourt. The 6-foot-8 left-hander can score with his back to the basket, but he also can face up and attack the basket, Meyer said.
Analysts say his size is his all-out motor and attacking style of play separate him from others.
"He's a unique power forward," said Telep, who compared his quick shot release with Antawn Jamison, a former All-American at North Carolina now playing in the NBA with the Washington Wizards.
"He'll be used in a variety of different ways, but at the end of the day, his calling card at MSU will be his energy," Telep said.
Roe, who cannot sign a National Letter of Intent until November, averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks as a junior while leading St. Edward to a 25-1 record.
He has a year of high school left before he lands on MSU's campus, where he'll be coming on the heels of MSU's 2007 class that features point guard Kalin Lucas and wing players Durrell Summers, Chris Allen and Austin Thornton. Roe also joins 5-foot-10 point guard Korie Lucious of Milwaukee as verbal commitments in the 2008 class.
With the four guards already committed, landing a coveted big man looks to be crucial for the Spartans.
"That's the integral part of this story — that they bring in a very good backcourt and the following year they have one of the top power forwards coming as well," Meyer said. "So they're getting guys that are at the top of their positions."
After redshirting last year, 7-foot center Tom Herzog will be a sophomore when Roe joins MSU. Pairing Herzog — who blocked more than five shots a game as a high school senior at Flint Powers Catholic High School — with a scorer like Roe gives MSU a diversified frontcourt.
"It's almost going to be a perfect combo to match him with a shot blocker," Telep said.
While Roe has verbally committed to be a part of MSU's 2008 class, he could help the Spartans land some of the top players in the class of 2009. Several recruits from that class ranked in the Top 25 by Rivals.com have an interest in MSU, and having a five-star player like Roe coming to MSU could weigh on their decisions.
"You've seen that phenomena take place with Ohio State, where they have sort of a snowball effect with their recruiting," Meyer said. "Delvon is such a genuine person and just a good guy, I think he's the type of player people would love to have as a teammate."
Roe joins Shannon Brown and Paul Davis as recent Top 10 recruits to choose MSU. Scout.com ranked Brown as the No. 2 shooting guard and No. 5 overall player in the 2003 class. Davis was the top power forward and No. 4 overall player in the 2002 class, according to Scout.com.
