MSU confirmed Friday afternoon Cleveland State transfer Bryn Forbes has signed with MSU.
“We are excited to add Bryn Forbes, a homegrown product, to our roster,” head coach Tom Izzo said in a statement. “He was extremely well coached by former Spartan Carlton Valentine at Lansing Sexton, and brings with him the championship attitude that he developed there as he teamed with Denzel Valentine to win back-to-back state championships.”
A 6-foot-3, 175-pound Lansing native, Forbes could potentially qualify for the 2014-15 season if he were to apply for a hardship waiver. The Cleveland Plain Dealer previously reported Forbes’ sister has medical issues, and Forbes also has a young son in Lansing.
Forbes is a former teammate of sophomore guard Denzel Valentine at Sexton, where they won state titles in 2011 and 2012.
The Horizon League Newcomer of the Year in 2013, Forbes averaged 12.7 points per game and hit at a .389 clip from deep during his freshman season, and upped those numbers to 15.6 points on .424 shooting from beyond the arc during his sophomore year.
“Bryn enjoyed two great seasons at Cleveland State, but he’s decided to come back closer to home,” Izzo continued in the statement. “He brings the ability to shoot the basketball and you can never have enough shooters on your team. Look at some of his best performances, and you can see that they’ve come against top-notch competition, such as scoring 22 points against Kentucky.”
Forbes joins Harris, Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas recruits forward Marvin Clark and guard Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn, along with Columbus, Ohio native Javon Bess in the 2014-15 class.
With five incoming players, the MSU basketball program will hope to weather the loss of sophomore guard Gary Harris and senior forward Adreian Payne, who are both currently slated as first round picks in the 2014 NBA Draft by ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford.
The Spartans also lost redshirt junior guard Russell Byrd to transfer in May.
