Welcome Aboard: Matt Costello
by intrpdtrvlr on Aug 11, 2010 2:49 PM CDT
in Michigan State Spartans Basketball
Email
PrintThe Bay City Big Man (I like it!) Matt Costello chose to became the latest member of the Michigan State Spartan basketball program. With Travis Trice covering the point guard position and MSU bringing in a wealth of riches on the wing, Matt was the last piece of the recruiting puzzle to ensure that the frontcourt is covered for the future. He chose MSU over offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Bulter, Indiana, and, again, the University of Michigan. Entering his junior year in the neighborhood 6'9", 215 lbs, size shouldn't be a issue in limiting his success. Costello's HS coach Chris Watz called him a "maniac" in the weight room so Matt should only improve his ability to hold his position and play with power. Also, he'll fit right in with incoming Spartans like Adreian Payne and Alex Gauna as post players who can also step away from the basket and shoot.
I'll give you his rankings but then tell you why they don't tell the whole story after the cut...
SCOUT: Three-star, #20 C
RIVALS: Unranked
ESPN: Grade of 91
Despite Costello's blue-collar reputation, there's been plenty of high praise about his play. He made a big impression this summer at the Motown Showdown. Joe Stapleton of UM Hoops watched him in action and commented on how game-ready to his position and adjusted to his size Costello was:
Now here’s someone to get excited about. Costello is tall, long, tough and coordinated. A lot of times with young big guys, you get the sense that they’re still growing into their bodies, but he looked perfectly at home.
At the same event, LifeInLansing's Sam Hosey described his game this way:
Agile, active big man is very talented. Can score inside with his back to the basket but can step outside and do some damage, too. Really impressive filling the lane. Like all big men his age, Costello needs to add strength and grit but he's one of the state's best young big men.
To top it all off, Mlive contributor and AAU coach Steve Bell suggested that Matt could be the best Michigan big man prospect since Al Horford(!) and we all know that one worked out rather well for the University of Florida. One of the best notes in the article is Bell's statement that Costello is not one of those passive, lax post players whose body screams "potential" but whose play says "unmotivated." Costello plays tough, aggressive basketball and should fit in nicely as a Spartan from day one.
Taking commitments two years before players begin college can be a risk--and a risk MSU is running all-in lately. Worst-case scenario, Michigan State picked up a solid, role-playing post player with the right attitude who comes from a excellent family. Best-case scenario, Izzo just got a verbal from the next Al Horford. That's win-win for me.
Coach Izzo is on a recruiting streak unparalleled in MSU history, basically landing FIVE straight Plan A's within the span of two weeks. On paper, the 2011 and 2012 classes are now both full. I know everyone is speculating if MSU will continue to pursue Gary Harris. It could be a Trey Zeigler-style situation in which Harris states that he's been assured of a spot even if the public isn't sure where the scholarship is coming from. However, this could also be the end of the road for his involvement with Michigan State. As talented as guys like Harris (and Jordan Hare) might be, MSU is in fantastic shape already. Until we know more, trust in Izzo.
40 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Historical Question
I haven’t really followed MSU recruiting in the past as closely as I have this year (thanks in large part to TOC by the way).
But I don’t recall Izzo filling his classes this far out. Has he traditionally done this?
On the one hand he must think really highly of these kids. On the other hand they are 15 or 16 years old. Hard to know how he develops in the next couple years.
I obviously trust Izzo’s judgement, just wondering if this is unusual for him.
I wonder if this has anything to do with improving his quality of life.
Hollis has talked in the past about finding ways to get Izzo more free time. Maybe they decided to focus more on program kids instead of fighting for elite prospects.
by Chris in Kzoo on Aug 11, 2010 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Yea
I thought that too, that’s kind of why I wondered if it was a new trend. Seems like with these guys signed committed he could relax a little, especially since there isn’t even an obvious scholarship available. Then again, things change so he couldn’t completely back off, and there is always the 2013 class.
by trivialstuff16 on Aug 11, 2010 3:25 PM CDT up reply actions
That's a very interesting theory
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Aug 11, 2010 3:26 PM CDT up reply actions
My take
In respect, I have to disagree that Izzo is settling for a certain “program” type of player instead of working hard to land “elite” talent. I think what you’re actually seeing is MSU’s success and Izzo’s prestige really starting to pay off to where he’s getting the guys he wants quickly because they want to make sure they have the opportunity to become Spartans. After all, Branden Dawson is no chump in the rankings. I think focusing on things like Hare over Costello or Harris over Valentine is short changing those recent commits. The rankings guys are guessing and prognosticating just like everyone else concerning how these players will develop, and if you worry too much about it, you’re banking Scout and Rivals over Izzo.
So, I agree that this is part of Izzo’s improved quality of life but I don’t believe it’s because he’s backing off talent. Just my take.
And in all candor, I think Costello, reputation-wise, has less to prove than Denzel Valentine. I’m not sure he really has many doubters.
by intrpdtrvlr on Aug 11, 2010 3:55 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Agree somewhat
I think Izzo DID wrap it up quick so he could have more free time. However saying he isnt getting elite recruits is frankly ignorant. Payne, Appling, Dawson, and Kearney are all “elite” recruits. In fact hes gotten more elite kids in this stretch than he usually does.
Costello will probably be ranked much higher next year by the recruiting services as well.
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
Program kids/elite prospects
So you’re saying he didn’t land elite prospects?
Pretty fair chance Costello and Valentine are both 4-star prospects, and we know where Dawson stands. Payne is a high recruit, and Dwaun Anderson has really pushed himself up the charts..Keith Appling..I’m not following I guess.
Let me also say, some of these guys do fit the Izzo mold, but the talent matches also.
by Bryan Everson on Aug 12, 2010 4:19 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
herzog to horford?
espn has him listed at 185. everything else is saying hes more like 210. id much prefer him to be at 210 already, i just hope his metabolism allows him to add weight. otherwise this might be a great blunder.
from the al horford comparrison article, it sounds like he should be moving up in ratings. i have no idea how that works. but a top 50 player seems to me should be given higher than 3 stars.
side note.. what ever happened to izzo saying how he wants to be able to land 5star after 5star? are some of these recruits a function of wanting to win more (natty champs) and get his style of player? or does izzo really not care about those top guys as long as he can get a guy to play msu bball? i guess that seems like a lot of hot hair with some of these recent signings.
I guess I don't remember Izzo making a statement to that effect
To me, the talent on the wings looks like significant (but not huge) step up: three 4-star guys with Dawson a borderline 5-star. The bigs are in the 3-star range, but that’s worked fine for MSU in the past, as Izzo’s system doesn’t emphasize post scoring. Trice and Valentine round things out as potential role players/glue guys.
I’d summarize the two classes as Izzo pushing things a little in terms of going after big-time athletes on the wing, but staying in the sweet spot of guys who aren’t likely be early-entry stars.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Aug 11, 2010 3:34 PM CDT up reply actions
katz
i think he said some things lilke that in several andy katz articles. or maybe katz was paraphrasing — about how he has to work his butt off to get 1, 5 star recruit while KY, duke and UNC get them with out lifting a finger, and he was sick of that.
but the above mentioned quality of life thing makes a lot of sense. hopefully this kid pans out, him kaminski and valentine actually.
And
Payne is a 4, borderline 5 star big coming in this year.
I’ve always thought there was the smallest bit of inconsistency with izzo’s message on recruiting. I can definitely recall him discussing (I would say complaining is too strong a word) that MSU still doesn’t have the name brand that Kansas, Duke, UNC, etc have when it comes to recruiting.
At the same time I can also recall him talking about how his philosophy is to focus on guys from the midwest. He wants their families to be able to drive to games etc, be familiar with the MSU program, and fit his system.
But I think Izzo is too competitive a guy to “settle” for lesser recruits this far out. After thinking about it, I believe that goes for the quality of life theory mentioned above. My guess is he had these guys as highly ranked as any others that were seriously in play for MSU. Now, did he maybe put a bit more pressure on them to sign quickly, maybe, but I think a big part of that is the lack of scholarships. In some ways taking one early commit gives you some momentum and puts a little pressure on these kids. I can very easily imagine a conversation telling costello you have an offer but we only have one spot left and if somebody else that we are recruiting is willing to commit that spot will be gone.
by trivialstuff16 on Aug 11, 2010 3:50 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
Rec it
I just did.
Also, I think Izzo’s comments about Duke/UNC/UK are probably more about overall program prestige than a direct recruiting comparison. End of the day, I don’t think Izzo would be happy coaching a lot of one-and-done guys.
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Aug 11, 2010 4:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Thanks
intrpdtrvlr, mentioned this above as well but I think we worry too much about the recruiting service rankings.
I think that’s normal because most of us never get to see these guys play, nor are we college coaches (although I like to play one on sports blogs). So these services give us something to use as a nice barometer to compare with other teams.
But as he said above, let’s go with Izzo over Scout or Rivals. No way he takes a kid this far out unless he’s convinced the guy is going to help him compete for championships.
And as has been mentioned above it’s not like these guys aren’t getting any love from the mainstream recruiting services.
I think the “lack” of 5 stars is a combination of all the things already mentioned. He prefers guys from the midwest (there just aren’t that many of them), and he probably doesn’t care to have an endless stream of one and done guys. But when there is a blue chip recruit in the midwest we are usually right in the mix for getting them.
by trivialstuff16 on Aug 11, 2010 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions
re: Costello
Totally true about the ranking services. The point I want to emphasis is that, in terms of MSU players, Trice is no doubt a total “under the radar” for MSU. Valentine is a player that’s been highly regarded in-state but really took this summer to blow up. However, concerning Costello, I’ve been hearing about him for a long time as a bonafide, elite talent. No question marks on this one.
Hare has a lot of support and Hawkins is quite good, but it could be argued that Izzo wrapped up the no. 1 in-state big and the no. 1 in-state wing for 2012 this week. He definitely got the two who were his preferences.
by intrpdtrvlr on Aug 12, 2010 8:45 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
I suspect
Izzo has perhaps been applying selective pressure to get the classes filled, but this is something that MSU’s recent success has allowed him to do. And it would be selective. Dawson apparently just decided out of the blue and Izzo didn’t even believe him at first when he made the call. But I did read that he asked Trice for a commitment on the spot. He was giving Costello the sales pitch but Costello apparently interrupted him with the equivalent of “you had me at hello”.
I think
maybe Izzo pressures the lower recruits more because even though he likes them he is probably less willing to take Bulls*** from a Travis Trice than a Branden Dawson if that makes sense. I know thats how Id handle it, I can let a 5 star bonafide blue chip recruit take time and Ill continue to schmooze him. But a player like Trice, who I like, I can probably convince that I can find an equal or better player than him and that pushes him to commit quicker. Just a theory.
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
Welcome to MSU Costello
Izzo said after the Cav’s ordeal that he was even more motivated to go on the recruiting trail and he’s truly shown that these past two weeks.
Thanks for all the recruiting coverage you have provided. Even though our next two classes are basically full, it would be nice to get some updates through out the high school bball season on how our guys are doing.
it feels odd asking this
but whats the plan for 2013? Do we know anything about anyone at this point? maybe I should let these two completed classes sink in for… oh I don’t know, a year, before I have to think about 2013.
by The Baron Von Tito on Aug 11, 2010 4:15 PM CDT reply actions
I think
Izzos gonna sit back and relax a little bit right now. 2013 is a ways away.
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
Building a Program
It appears to me that Izzo is building a program with mostly four-star guys that are likely to stick around for four years. Projecting out over the next several years, we will have many players each year that will have matured in Izzo’s system. Is a third or fourth year four-star player comparable in talent to a five-star player who stays a year or two? His system has been pretty successful in reaching the promised land. While Calipari is busy trying to mold this year’s version of one-and-dones, I’ll happily be cheering for players I have grown to appreciate. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t welcome a star talent now and again to make the journey a little easier.
Five stars as Kentucky had?
They are still kids under pressure and Calipari has had post season awards taken away.
And thats different how?
Izzo has always done that dude…
But I agree, I appreciate and grow to love the players. I loved Drew Neitzel cuz he was a short white scrappy underdog playing against taller more athletic players. I love Durrell Summers because I know how great he CAN be but I also see him struggle with mental issues. It all contributes to me loving MSU even more because I feel like I “relate” to the players more, since I see them grow.
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
Izzo's way
I am aware that has been his preferred route. I was commenting relative to the discussion around where are all the five-star guys. His philosophy has been successful when he has recruited strong classes. There have been a few weak classes during his tenure, along with unexpected early departures, that have not enabled the team to sustain at the same level.
what do you consider the weak classes?
I cant really think of a class that didnt creat at least one fantastic contributor to the team, i.e. Neitzel or Raymar. Maybe those are the weak classes, but Id say that Izzo almost always gets the guys he wants. I cant really think of a time he got really burned, like say Purdue just did by Dawson.
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
Weaker Classes
While I loved what Walton brought to the court, I consider the class of 2005 with Walton and Maurice Joseph to be a weaker class. The next couple of years will determine where last year’s class of Sherman and Nix fall.
But
factor in all the redshirted freshmen that year. Suton became a fantastic contributor, and Ibok and Gray (who was a true frosh that year) both were solid defenders and big bodies.
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
That's the key right there
The window is open this year and next to leave the Final Four with some nets draped over a trophy with the big game experienced upper class and talented young’ns. No school is going to have a championship level team every year so why not bring in a group of kids that will be around for a while and come in ready to earn their keep instead of being handed a starting spot. Besides, there are and will be several early entry candidates on the team so at some point you have to cover some bases and make sure there’s some experienced talent to step in if guys leave early. Also, I think kids in Michigan get short changed by the rating services. Scout/Rivals/ESPN seem to ID a certain group of kids to focus on and that’s who get all the stars and if they happen to catch a Michigan kid on a bad day he’ll never live it down. About 2 months ago my life was turned upside down with the thought Coach might leave, thankfully he didn’t. I’m not going to show my appreciation by second guessing. We’ve just witnessed team building at it’s finest and so many are worried. It must be OK to take him for granted again…
Go Hard or get some popcorn
Michigan is considered one of basketballs major pipelines dude…
and just wondering who besides Payne do you see being early entry?
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
Costello
He is going to be the #1 player in Michigan and quite possibly a 5 star by the time it’s all said and done. The Herzog thing really cracks me up….and I don’t think that will be a problem here. Nobody’s metabolism is so fast that they can’t put on weight at all. I won’t even get into all that, but beyond the myth’s, there is plenty of evidence that you can dig up on google proving that everyone’s metabolism is nearly the same. It’s an excuse for why people can’t lose weight and it’s a sad thing for the public to think this because then people just accept in their minds that they will always be overweight. Do you see any ethiopian’s with slow metabolisms? I digress. If Herzog were truly eating 6000 calories per day, he would gain weight…if not, then eat as much as it takes to gain. It’s not rocket science…peanut butter, entire pizzas, etc. Things with lots of fat so that you don’t have to eat as much food. Try and eat six chicken breasts compared to 1 16oz of NY strip. Probably had to do with America’s fear of fat in food. He was eating lean foods and carbs and they weren’t calorie dense enough for him to eat more. The bball staff couldn’t be around Herzog 24/7 to make sure he was eating every single calorie he was supposed to. I claim huge BS on his account. That wasn’t supposed to be that big of a rant, sorry.
In any case, Costello is young so his rankings aren’t high according to the services, but I think we all can agree that most good coaches are better evaluators of talent than the ranking services. He will likely be a 5 or at least a super 4 star and the #1 player in the state and top 5 at his position. He is a workhorse, animal in the gym, and a coaches dream from a do whatever he is told standpoint. Izzo does more with less than anyone in the country and now I think that he is recruiting more of the elite crowd will start taking names. We might have only seen the tip of the iceberg from Izzo thus far into his amazing career. He’s on a mission to prove everyone that doubted him wrong.
Yeah dude
Herzog was a real dissapointment. Most 7 footers are pretty skinny like him when they come in, but if he had eaten what they told him and worked out more he definitely couldve been a major contributor, especially since he has some slick post moves.
And I agree, Izzo has that Michigander chip on his shoulder and that makes him a fantastic coach and his teams fun to cheer for and I love it, despite the fact that it bites him in the ass from time to time.
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
Extra 2012 Scolarship
I read that Costello had a 3.8 GPA. Is there any possibility that he could qualify for an academic scholarship, thereby leaving one more scholarship available for that class?
So
does anyone know when the new rankings come out from national services? Id like to see how all the new recruits are affected in the star dept. what with further development and their commitments.
Ooonst ooonst muthafucka!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on The Only Colors
Related FanShots on The Only Colors
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
