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MSU Hoops Target Rising in the Recruiting Ranks
Wayne Memorial's Carlos Medlock Jr. moves the ball against Flint Carman-Ainsworth during the second quarter in the Division 1 state semifinal on Friday, March 14, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This just in: Tom Izzo has a knack for finding good talent.

If you’re just finding this out, you may have a lot of catching up to do.

Last month, the Michigan State Spartans made an offer to point guard Carlos Medlock Jr., and since then, he has been skyrocketing in the recruitment ranks.

Just how drastic has Medlock’s rise been? When the Spartans made their offer to him, he was a three-star prospect, ranked the 26th-best point guard in the nation in the 2026 class, per 247Sports.

One month later, and two more Power Four offers (Michigan and Oklahoma State), Medlock has suddenly risen to the ninth-best point guard, 104th overall, and a four-star prospect.

Many deemed Medlock as one of the more overlooked prospects in high school basketball, but since the offer from MSU, the whispers about his game have turned into roars across the nation.

The 5-foot-11 point guard has a quickness to his game that’s hard to replicate. He pushes the pace like no other guard, and his jitterbug mentality allows him to be effective on both ends of the floor.

A lot of his scoring has come in transition because of that, whether he sees an opportunity to push the pace or uses his active hands-on defense to force a turnover.

But he’s not just a high-tempo type of player. He can also run half-court sets at a high level, but his speed is the ultimate game-changer. Whether it’s using his handles or dodging past defenders, Medlock can find open space, even when he’s approaching traffic.

One of the more underrated parts of his game is how well he plays off the ball. As a point guard, you might expect him to be ball-dominant, but he can dictate the play even without it, a rare trait that signals an elite floor general.

Medlock uses his aforementioned speed to create space, gets teammates to set screens for him, and jukes defenders out regularly.

From there, he leans into his top-notch jumper, which he’s shown can be effective from anywhere. Medlock seems to have unlimited range, a major asset at the college level, and it’s no wonder why he’s not a hidden prospect anymore.

Izzo had the pleasure of knowing of him early on, since Medlock is a Michigan native, though he’ll spend his final high school year at Link Academy in Branson, Missouri.

But whether he knew it or not, once that offer went out, it opened the floodgates.

Now, Izzo will have to ramp up the recruiting if Medlock is truly the guy. With Jeremy Fears Jr. eventually on his way out, the need for a point guard will be crystal clear, and Medlock feels like a perfect fit in green and white.

But with in-state and Big Ten rivals entering the fray, the battle just got a lot tougher.

Stay up to date on all your Michigan State hoops news when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and feel free to share your thoughts on if you think Carlos Medlock Jr. is a great fit on the Spartans when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Be sure to also like and share our content when you follow us on X @MSUSpartansOnSI.


This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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