Michigan State Spartans target Jonathan Sanderson talks about his relationship with the staff

“The conversation actually didn’t even start with basketball,” Sanderson said. “How things have changed, you know, I grew up as a Michigan guy and now I’m talking to Tom Izzo. We both talked about how crazy it is but also super cool. And we talked about how he’s never seen me play, but yesterday he saw me play and made me the offer. During the conversation, we talked about how everyone’s been telling him how much they love my game, but he can’t wait to see me play and if that’s really true. Then he saw me and everything people told him was true.”

Sanderson said he likes Izzo’s coaching style.

“I just like his energy. He wants to win bad, and I’m a player who wants to win bad. And I feel like I can connect with him because I get angry and I can get angry and I understand his feelings sometimes,” he said.

Sanderson’s main recruiter was Saddi Washington, a new hire at Izzo who had worked with Sanderson’s father at Michigan. Washington’s son, Caleb, is a good friend of Sanderson’s. Sanderson called Washington a “great guy.”

“He’s a relationship guy, he’s not interested in basketball,” Sanderson said. “When it comes to the court, he knows the game very well when you’re around him. A really smart guy who knows the basketball very well.”

Michael France is Sports Illustrated’s Michigan State recruiting reporter and covers all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Follow him on Twitter/X@michaelfrancesi for exclusive coverage of the Spartans recruiting.

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