What Commitment of 5-Star PG Pemberton Means for MSU Basketball

The future of Michigan State‘s backcourt just got even brighter.

MSU started off its 2027 recruiting class with a big-time addition, as five-star point guard Antonio Pemberton announced his commitment to the Spartans. The 6’1″ Pemberton, who is from Hanover, Mass., is ranked No. 23 overall in his class on the 247Sports Composite, as well as fifth among point guards.

Five-star 2027 point guard Antonio Pemberton on his official visit to Michigan State | Antonio Pemberton via IG / Michigan State Basketbal

The decision from Pemberton comes on the heels of his official visit to East Lansing. He was in town during the program’s annual “Grind Week,” which seemed to have a particularly robust group of alumni this year. Pemberton ultimately is choosing MSU over Kansas, Tennessee, Creighton, Ohio State, Marquette, Boston College, UCLA, and plenty of other high-majors that had sent him offers.

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Pemberton’s rating of 0.9918 from 247Sports makes him the seventh-best recruit Michigan State has landed since at least 2003, and also the best pure point guard prospect. For reference, Jeremy Fears Jr. (0.9884) is 12th overall now, and incoming freshman Carlos Medlock Jr. (.9810) is 21st.

Immediate Impact of Pemberton’s Commitment

Mar 18, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; Michigan State Spartans Head Coach Tom Izzo answers questions during a press conference prior to a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pemberton’s offensive bag is really deep. He can create his own shot whenever he wants with an assortment of dribble moves and combos, has a nice mid-range jump shot, and his stepback is a lot deeper than most other point guards’.

His archetype as a player really isn’t too different from Medlock’s. It will be tough for Michigan State to replace Fears’ abilities as a distributor, but it seems Tom Izzo (perhaps wisely) really isn’t even going to try. Rather than try…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/commitment-5-star-pg-pemberton-200706009.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-18 20:07:00

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