Spartans Weblog

Today is the start of the early signing period for 2009 basketball recruits.  Presumably, Garrick Sherman and Derrick Nix will sign the dotted line to come play for Tom Izzo today.

The bigger question is what happens with Jamil Wilson.  Scout.com reports the following:

First topic of discussion is Jamil Wilson. There’s a lot of moving and shaking going on in his recruitment. A conversation with his AAU coach, Duane Wilson, leads us to believe he will definitely commit during the signing period. The schools in the mix are Oregon, Michigan State, Texas and Marquette. Oregon was his last visit. MSU has been the assumed leader for much of his recruitment. Texas is the sleeper in this ordeal, while Marquette is making a late push and is very much alive.

On a related note, BTN is airing a Signing Day Special tonight at 6:00.

Update: Nix and Sherman have indeed signed.  Here are Izzo’s comments on the two of them:

Derrick Nix’s greatest attributes are his toughness and great hands. He has also played for great programs at both the high school and AAU level, so we know we are getting a well coached player who is very coachable and wants to get better. Derrick is an intriguing player in that his contributions will rely on his conditioning and his ability to get to a good playing weight. If he can make the same commitment that players like Zach Randolph and Draymond Green made, we believe he has all the skills necessary to succeed. One of the things we like best about Derrick is that he is passionate about the game and he really wants to be at Michigan State. With his knack for getting every loose ball, his great hands and very good footwork, we believe that he is a diamond in the rough.

Garrick Sherman is a very well-rounded big man, with the ability to shoot, rebound and block shots, as well as being an excellent passer. Because of where he played, he didn’t get some of the early recognition that other players received, but we liked what we saw. He has great skills, very good timing, a tremendous work ethic and he is a very intelligent player that does all the little things. His potential to contribute initially will be based on his ability to adjust to the competition at the Division I and Big Ten level.