Lucas ‘Makes That Move,’ Commits To MSU * FREE STORY

EAST LANSING -- Orchard Lake St. Mary’s dynamic junior point guard Kalin Lucas and his family drove to the campus of Michigan State for a meeting with head coach Tom Izzo and assistant Dwayne Stephens Thursday afternoon. After the hour-long visit, Lucas was a Spartan and Izzo was the happiest man in town.

“Coach Izzo, he was so excited,” Lucas said with a chuckle via telephone Thursday evening. “He was screaming, jumping up and down, and grabbing me. Hugging. Singing. Some of everything. He was so excited. It was crazy.”

Lucas was surprised by Izzo’s reaction, but it reassured him that Michigan State was the place for him.

“It made me feel good because I know he really wanted me. That just made it even better.”

The 6-foot Lucas, PrepSpotlight.com’s No. 1 point guard in the state regardless of class, picked the Spartans over Michigan while drawing strong interest from Wake Forest and Illinois. He relied on those closest to him in the decision-making process. Lucas indicated that everyone was on the same page and happy with the choice.

“Basically, I talked to Coach [George] Porritt, that’s my high school coach. And I talked to [The Family’s] Coach ‘Speedy’ Walker, my mom and my dad. We just all thought Michigan State was the right place for me. We looked at things like the way they play and how they push the ball up. That’s how I play. I get it and go.”

When Lucas last discussed his recruitment with PrepSpotlight.com last Friday night, he indicated that he wanted to take his ACT exam on February 5 and then commit shortly thereafter, but a conversation with his father, Ken Lucas, changed those plans.

“That’s what we were thinking at first, but a couple of days ago me and my dad were talking. And my dad said, ‘Why wait, just go ahead and get this over with. You know where you want to be [so] it doesn’t make any sense to wait.’ So I listened to him because I know he’s not gonna tell me wrong.”

When making a decision there are always a number of factors involved both positive and negative. Lucas had originally stated that early playing time would be a major issue and the situation at Michigan State is such that he likely wouldn’t see a huge amount of minutes as a freshman.

“Yeah, we looked at that too,” he said. “I know when I get there, Drew Neitzel’s gonna be a senior. But my dad said wherever I go I’m gonna have to compete anyway. So I’m just gonna go ahead, play hard and compete.”

Another subplot in Lucas’ recruitment is his close relationship with Redford Covenant star guard, Durrell Summers. Lucas, who said his family left the MSU campus at around 5:00 p.m., placed a call to Summers to inform him of his decision and do a little recruiting of his own.

“I called him probably at 7:00 or 8:00 p.m.,” Lucas recalled. “And I told him, ‘Yeah man, I made that move.’ He was like, ‘What move? What are you talking about K?’ I told him, ‘I went ahead and committed to Michigan State.’

“He was shocked and surprised. I was like, ‘Yeah, Durrell, you need to go ahead and commit so we can win this National Championship together.’”

So how effective was the Lucas recruiting pitch?

“He’s thinking about it,” Lucas said. “I think he’s gonna do it, but the way he was talking on the phone, he was real excited. He said, ‘Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it, too.’”

Scouting Report

Here are some recent thoughts on Lucas in relation to the other top point guards in the country shared by Prep Spotlight President, Vince Baldwin:

“I have now seen every top ranked PG in the 2007 class up-close and I have some definite opinions on who is really the best. Derrick Rose is by far the best athlete in the country at the PG position. He must learn to dominate every time he steps on the floor.

“I have watched Syracuse PG recruit Antonio "Scoop" Jardine, Corey Fisher of USA Today's Top 10 ranked St. Patrick's Prep, Nolan Smith of powerhouse Oak Hill, and highly ranked Miles Beatty of St. Anthony's over the last three weeks and none of them impressed me like Michigan native Kalin Lucas.

“Lucas has blow-by-you speed and a very tight handle. His floor game is super and he has the heart and pride of a champion. He's also the best athlete of the players I saw recently (with the exception of Rose) and has the best overall feel for the game.

I knew Lucas was big time before I saw the others play recently, but now I'm more convinced than ever that he belongs in the top group of PG's nationally.”

Coach Izzo would like agree with Baldwin’s sentiments over his new prized recruit. Lucas, whose nickname is “CP” after outstanding point guard Chris Paul, said Izzo named a number of things that he likes about the budding point guard.

“He said he liked the way I push the ball up the court because that’s how they play. They push the ball up every time. He likes my toughness. He said my leadership. He said he loved that because you need your point guard to have that.”

Congratulations to Coach Tom Izzo and assistant Dwayne Stephens for a job well done.

For more on the Lucas commitment including the effects and reactions of prospects such as Durrell Summers and Chris Allen meet in the DaChairman’s Board Room for the latest inside scoop.