Michigan State Men’s Basketball Offers Jonathan Sanderson

The point guard position is crucial for any basketball team, but for Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, it means even more. His best teams have had great point guards like Mateen Cleaves and Cassius Winston. Right now, Izzo has Jeremy Fears Jr. as his point guard of the future. Fears could very well end up in the pantheon of great Izzo guards.

Looking ahead, Izzo has his sights set on point guard Trey McKenney for 2025. McKenney appears to be a combination of scoring ability and offensive player.

Izzo offered a 2026 commitment to in-state point guard Jonathan Sanderson on Friday. Sanderson was a standout player at Saline High School. In Trevor Andershock’s scouting report on Sanderson, he describes a point guard who sounds perfect for an Izzo team.

“His energy and competitive spirit are immediately apparent when watching him, as Sanderson never takes a time off. He moves laterally well on defense and makes it difficult for opponents on every attack,” Andershock wrote. “Young point guards often let others do the dirty work and wait until they have the ball in their hands, but that’s not the case with Sanderson. He storms the boards and gets involved in the box to get the ball… He hit 30 of 89 three-pointers (33.7 percent) during 3SSB play, but made 82.9 percent of his 41 free throw attempts.

“There is little reason to worry about Sanderson becoming a top-tier three-point shooter. Even at the U15 level against strong competition, Sanderson has made pull-up threes in transition or shots off the dribble over defenders in the half court. His form and attitude suggest that shooting will be one of his strengths for the rest of his basketball career.”