MSU's Izzo Sings the Praises of Thriving 4-Star Legacy Freshman Richardson

Jase Richardson was a four-star legacy when he first took the court for Michigan State in November. Now, he's a pivotal player off the bench with the potential to be far more.

Jan 25, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jase Richardson (11) drives to the basket against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Jordan Derkack (0) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Before Michigan State freshman guard Jase Richardson dropped a career-best 20 points in a win over Rutgers at the hallowed basketball cathedral known as Madison Square Garden, Coach Tom Izzo told Fox Sports' John Fanta that Richardson was a "dream of a kid."

High praise for the son of Spartans hoops legend Jason Richardson, who won a national championship with Izzo in 2000 and went on to a solid NBA career.

"[Jase is] as good as it gets," Izzo said. "He works on his game tirelessly and he cares about everybody in our program. Everybody. He's incredibly intelligent and can speak more than a couple of languages. We went over to Spain and he could do anything that you wanted him to do. But as a player, I think the word would be incredibly ‘efficient.' He knows how to pass the ball so well and he gives it up early -- sometimes too early ... we've got to get him more shots, and he has to take more shots because he's a very good shooter. But he's very good with the ball. He can distribute it. He has a wonderful sense of things, and I think his second half of the season will be a lot better than his first half.

"Some of that is us getting a full feel for him and some of it is him getting a feel for college basketball. He's been an exciting kid to have here because I think his ceiling is extremely high, and I think he's going to be a great player at Michigan State." 

Richardson was the highlight of the 2024 recruiting class and a four-star talent, rated the No. 37 player nationally by 247Sports.

Adam Finkelstein called Richardson "highly versatile and legitimately able to impact the game in a multitude of ways on both ends of the floor."

Sounds like the typical Izzo player, no?

"Offensively, he is equally comfortable playing on or off the ball," Finkelstein wrote in his evaluation. "With the ball in his hands, he can create pace in the open floor and rise-up to finish explosively above the rim. He’s capable of getting paint touches in the half-court as well and then very adept at spitting the ball out after collapsing the lane. ... Richardson has also made notable strides as a shooting threat from behind the arc, which opens up the rest of his game.

"Defensively, he can move his feet, has quick reactions, and can be a playmaker both on and off the ball. Again though, the progression of his frame and ability to play through contact will take his game to new levels."

So far, Richardson's game is reaching those "new levels." Averaging 21.8 minutes a game, Richardson is scoring 9.8 points per game with 1.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds on near 60 percent shooting from the floor and around 45 percent behind the arc.

Legacy or not -- Richardson has a place in East Lansing and it's future.

Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive Spartans recruiting coverage.

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