Tom Izzo Talks About Mounting NBA Interest In Senior Guard Bryn Forbes

Pentecost Practice Facility

East Lansing, MI

Spartan guard Bryn Forbes is averaging 15 points agame this season, but has gripped the nation’s attention with his three point aerial attack. Forbes is so talented that after MSU lost to the Purdue Boilermakers on February 9th Matt Painter the Boilers’ head coach told me, “Denzel Valentine is so good that you know he is going to get what he gets, so we made the decision that to beat Michigan State you have to stop Bryn Forbes.” That is amazing respect from a Big Ten head coach.

Nationally, Forbes is eighth in the nation in three point field goal success, but don’t be fooled by the stats. He is the nation’s best and it is easy to discern when you look at the numbers. Forbes has taken 178 from behind the arc, converting on 88 for a 49%. Not one of the others on the list ahead or behind him has even taken close to his 178 or made 88. YOU CAN READ THE STATS HERE!

So, is he an NBA player? Tom Izzo thinks he is becoming one. “I always say for a guy to be a pro, to be a great player, you better be able to do a bunch of things pretty good, or you better be able to do one thing unbelievable. Dennis Rodman was an unbelievable rebounder and somebody else an unbelievable this. J.J. Redick is turning into an unbelievable shooter. That is why I keep telling him (Bryn Forbes) to keep working on his ball handling and keep working on your passing. You have to be adequate in something else. I think he has improved his defense a lot from what we saw him play early. He’s making a believer out of me and I am kind of a jerk. I’m a tough guy to make a believer out of. If he keeps improving and could add a couple of those other nuggets, I think he has a chance because he can shoot it like a J.J. Redick.”

So, is Izzo having NBA people starting to ask about Forbes? “Yeah! I am starting to get people that are saying ‘What about Forbes, what about Forbes?’ When you can say that not many people in the country can shoot it better, not many people work harder, not many more people are trying to please you, good student, and smart kid. He’s got a lot of the intangibles. He’s gotten smarter and tougher; he’s got to keep working on it. I give that kid a lot of credit. He took my wrath for a year and we are both reaping the benefits.”

A lot of people have written off Forbes before. On a high school team with Denzel Valentine and Anthony Clemmons who is a star guard at Iowa, Forbes took a path that led to Cleveland State. His play there warranted a transfer to Michigan State for his last two years.

Now a senior, Forbes is not only the nation’s best three point shooter, but he is also giving himself a chance to play for money as a professional. The good news is that he is a super young man who is a super basketball player.

The Spartans tip off with the Nittany Lions on Sunday at 12PM. That game can be seen on BTN.