Mikey D

Travis Trice is point guard from Ohio that has verbally committed to MSU as part of their 2011 class. He's part of a class that includes highly touted Branden Dawson and local studs Brandon Kearney and Dwaun Anderson. According to recruiting websites he is three-star player and ranks as the #36 overall point guard in the 2011 class. Despite his size (only six foot and a buck sixty-five), he's a lights-out shooter and natural born leader (son of a coach and former Big Ten player). In a lot of respects his game is similar to that of Drew Neitzel.

I mentioned him back in August when I posted, ecstatically, about the Branden Dawson commitment. The thing with Trice is that NOBODY even knew Izzo was recruiting the kid. Heck, nobody even knew who he was.

A month or so later, Trice's recruitment and how he became a Spartan is becoming a little more clear. This article, from the Princeton Daily Clarion, gives the back story of Trice and insight on his recruitment. It's a great read, heartwarming, and makes Trice pretty darn likeable. It's nice to have players that want to bleed green.

Here are the cliff notes from the article if you don't feel like reading:
~Trice had picked up early offers from a lot of small schools, like Richmond and Bradley, earlier in the year, but lacked any major attention from big-time programs. Trice was "dejected" at the lack of interest, and leaned heavily on his family for support.
~After an outstanding summer on the AAU circuit, playing against some of the top guards in the country, Trice began to make a name for himself. Despite not hearing anything from MSU before the summer, Trice found himself on the phone with Izzo. “’I’m recruiting you. I’ll do the homework and I’ll see you in Atlanta.’”
~Izzo ended up seeing Trice play 22 times over the summer.
~Izzo felt comfortable enough in Trice's abilities to invite him to East Lansing for a visit and to watch the Spartans practice.
~During the car ride up to E.L., Tubby Smith from Minnesota called Trice, offering him a scholarship and asking him to turn the car around and head up to Minnesota. Trice didn't.
~Izzo offered Trice a scholarship during his visit, but Trice's family decided to sit down and think about the decision before making any commitment. They made it as far as the parking garage. “’Dad, this is where I want to be. I love Coach Izzo and the winning'" said Trice.
~Trice called Izzo from the garage and gave his verbal. He told Izzo, "'You talked way too long. You had me in the first two words. You didn’t have to do all that talking. You had me.'"

Trice seems like a really great kid. I know it's football season, and these recruits that Izzo has been landing aren't stepping foot on campus for another year or two, but these are really exciting times. Izzo is grabbing kids that are fitting his system perfectly, and while they may not be rated as high on some recruiting sites, they are Spartan material. In Izzo we trust.

Welcome aboard, Travis.



~Mikey D