Incoming Michigan State freshman Mady Sissoko is the No. 3 ranked recruit in the Big Ten.
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Michigan State Basketball fans are still waiting to hear if Xavier Tillman will be returning to MSU for his senior year or not, but the hypothetical heir apparent to his role will definitely be joining the team this year and that is Mady Sissoko from Mount Pleasant, Utah. There is a ton of excitement around the 4-star big man this year, and today, it was pointed out by FOX College Hoops that Sissoko is the third highest-ranked recruit coming to the Big Ten this year according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Sissoko has a 0.9850 composite ranking and is the No. 39 overall ranked player in his class. Only Indiana’s Khristian Lander and Illinois’ Adam Miller have higher-ranked incoming recruits.
Here is the list of the best recruit on each Big Ten team, ranked. Note that these aren’t the top-14 recruits, just the top recruit from each team:
Plenty of talent coming into the @bigten next season! 👀⭐
Sissoko will be joined this year by fellow freshman AJ Hoggard, who is the No. 72 ranked player in the 247Sports composite rankings with a score of 0.9719.
MSU Basketball has offered top-50 prospect Donovan Clingan from Bristol Central High School.
On Sunday, it was reported that Michigan State Basketball had met with 7-foot-1, 2022 center Donovan Clingan in a virtual meeting. On Monday, Clingan announced that he received an offer from MSU.
Clingan is a top-50 player in his class and an absolute statistical monster. Clingan averaged 24.8 points, 17.2 rebounds, and 6.4 blocks per game last year for Bristol Central High School in Connecticut.
Given his size and abilities it’s no surprise that Clingan already has offers out from Boston College, UConn, Iowa, Rutgers and more as a variety of major programs will definitely be trying to get in on the Clingan sweepstakes.
With 2022 recruiting in full swing, this will be an interesting player for fans to keep an eye on. Something Izzo has lacked on his teams of late is size in the front-court and a future tag team of Mady Sissoko and Clingan could be scary for opposing teams.
Aaron Henry and Xavier Tillman still have time to withdraw from the NBA draft. This decision plays into playing time for both Sissoko and Hoggard. Simply put, Henry’s absence will open up more time for Hoggard to play as a perimeter ball handler.
Tillman’s absence will create a need for strong rim protection outside of big man Marcus Bingham Jr. Luckily enough, Mady Sissoko boasts a beastly 7-foot-4 wingspan. He and Bingham Jr. can make an incredibly formidable tandem down in the paint.
With the NBA trade deadline approaching, there may be some swaps of picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, which is considered to be a strong class.
With the NBA trade deadline approaching, there may be some swaps of picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, which is considered to be a strong class.
Now that the rosters for the McDonald’s All-American Game have been announced and the Hoophall Classic is complete, top prospects are emerging as future stars in the league.
This list does not include any of the top international prospects who will likely be selected in 2020 like Killian Hayes and Theo Maledon. It also does not mention any of the top returning players in the nation as it will be unclear who will opt to play in the NBA and it is still tough to predict at this point.
Instead, it offers an introduction to the current high school seniors and the international
All statistics are updated through February 3, 2020 and are pulled from D1Circuit.com, MaxPreps and RealGM unless stated otherwise.
1. Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State (Committed)
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Guard, 6-foot-7, 18 years old, Montverde Academy (Florida)
Cade Cunningham is currently the anchor for Montverde Academy, which is being called the best high school team of all-time. They are currently ranked as the top school in the nation. The point forward is so good that an NBA scout recently told Yahoo’s Krysten Peek he would likely be the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft if he were eligible. That indicates he might already be the best player who is not currently in the league. For proof: Cunningham averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 assists per 36 minutes at the U19 World Cup, trailing just one player for total assists (40) during the tournament. With his size and his playmaking ability, he is already showing flashes of becoming a future franchise cornerstone.
2. Jalen Green, Uncommitted
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Guard, 6-foot-5, 17 years old, Prolific Prep (California)
Jalen Green is an incredibly explosive athlete who has improved as a shooter over the past few years as well. The scorer has become a more consistent and reliable option on the floor, offering an attacking mentality that will continue to develop as his competition continues. One of his crowning achievements thus far: He took home tournament MVP during the U17 World Cup in 2018, leading the United States to the gold medal behind 15.7 points per game. He averaged 7.7 three-pointers per 40 minutes during this competition, showing he is a fearless shooter. His natural stroke from the free-throw line shows that his three-point percentage will likely increase within time, too.
3. Evan Mobley, USC (Committed)
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Big, 7-foot-0, 18 years old, Rancho Christian (California)
Evan Mobley was 2019’s Gatorade Player of the Year in California and came into the summer as the highest-rated player on RSCI, which compiles all of the rankings on recruiting sites like 247 Sports and Rivals. The versatile big brags a 7-foot-5 wingspan with a 40-inch vertical leap, a rare measurement combination. He has recently been listed as a small forward, however, which Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo says “points to the dissonance” between his current identity and the best eventual fit in the NBA for someone his size. Still, there is arguably more to like about Mobley’s potential than that of 2020 projected lottery big man James Wiseman.
4. Scottie Barnes, Florida State (Committed)
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Forward, 6-foot-8, 18 years old, Montverde Academy (Florida)
Scottie Barnes currently plays alongside Cunningham at Montverde Academy and has a lot to offer as he continues to develop. He is a stat-sheet stuffer capable of putting up impressive lines for points and rebounds as well as assists. Like Cunningham, he has a point-forward mentality which is elevated by the fact that he is also measured with an incredible 9-foot-1 standing reach. Barnes can be a plug-and-play option for almost any team on both offense and defense in the NCAA and eventually in the NBA. That was an especially attractive trait for him for Team USA in the U19 World Cup, where he was a strong facilitator from the elbow. He assisted on 16.8 percent of scores for his team when he was on the floor despite never acting as his offense’s primary playmaker.
5. Ziaire Williams, Uncommitted
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Wing, 6-foot-8, 18 years old, Sierra Canyon (California)
Ziaire Williams is currently playing high school basketball at the high-profile Sierra Canyon. While he had to sit out the first few months of his senior year because of transfer rules, he has been a force to be reckoned with already. But that was no surprise for those who have followed the prospect. Williams led his AAU team (which also briefly included the aforementioned 2021 projected lottery pick Jalen Green) in points as well as rebounds and assists per game on the U17 circuit. The prospect has shown he is an above-average finisher near the rim, which will be important as he continues his growth. The Stepien’s Ross Homan also believes Williams can become the best shooter in this class. It will be fascinating to monitor his collegiate decision as he is the highest-rated recruit without an NCAA commitment yet.
AJ Hoggard and Mady Sissoko are officially Spartans
Today is the first day basketball players in the class of 2020 can sign their national letters of intent and Michigan State’s two basketball commits did just that.
AJ Hoggard and Mady Sissoko both announced on Twitter that they had signed and sent in their NLIs.
It’s official I’m a officially a spartan dawg💚 #GoGreen
Hoggard is a point guard out of Huntington Prep in West Virginia. He is rated as the No. 13 point guard in the country and No. 71 player overall by 24/7 Sports’ composite rankings.
Sissoko will head to East Lansing from Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah. The 6’9 center is rated as the No. 7 player at his position and the No. 37 player in the class of 2020.
