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

Tom Izzo Continues to Solidify MSU's Culture

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Jul 27, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo landed his point guard of the future on Friday, securing a commitment from four-star 2026 prospect Carlos Medlock Jr.

The high-rising guard caught the staff’s attention early, and Izzo’s eye for guard talent struck again. Medlock is the first commit for the 2026 class.

Oftentimes, the first player to commit to a class becomes the mouthpiece for other players. Medlock can now begin to sell other recruits on East Lansing.

Izzo has always sought point guards to set the tone for the culture he established at MSU 30 years ago. The Spartans have a long lineage of winning guards, from Mateen Cleaves to Cassius Winston.

Will Medlock be the next guard to uphold that legacy? Time will tell, but if Izzo sees him as his future lead guard, Medlock won’t find many better endorsements.

ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla had good things to say about Medlock upon his commitment.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Fraschilla posted:

“An NBA friend saw this young man in the spring, and though unranked, thought he was one of the best point guards in the country. I promise you that he will be ranked high very soon. The moral for college coaches here: TRUST YOUR OWN EYES.”

An NBA friend saw this young man in the spring, and though unranked, thought he was one of the best point guards in the country. I promise you that he will be ranked high very soon. The moral for college coaches here: TRUST YOUR OWN EYES. @MSU_Basketball https://t.co/TJeATyJ15d
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 26, 2025

Medlock is currently the No. 99 overall player in the 2026 class, the No. 11 point guard, and the No. 6 player in the state of Missouri, per 247Sports.

Izzo’s guards have led the way for some of his best teams.

Cleaves won a national championship. Drew Neitzel led the team to the Final Four. Winston did the same.

The current Spartan point guard, Jeremy Fears Jr., is looking to lead MSU back to the top of the college basketball world. With a healthy offseason, we are likely to see a different and much-improved version of Fears.

It will be a while before we see Medlock in a Green and White uniform, but fans are already excited about what he will bring.

Landing Medlock over Michigan is an added bonus. Izzo reminded Dusty May who runs the state, and that will not change any time soon.

Izzo has been doing this for a long time. Landing top-tier point guards and guys he thinks will solidify the culture is nothing new.

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