Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Basketball Signs Three To National Letters Of Intent
11/8/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 8, 2000
Audio:
T. Izzo
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State head men's basketball coach Tom Izzo has announced that three players have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Michigan State next fall and play for the 2001-02 Spartan basketball team.
The signees include Alan Anderson (G/F, 6-5, 218, Minneapolis/De LaSalle High School), Chris Hill (G, 6-3, 175, Indianapolis/Lawrence North High School) and Kelvin Torbert (G, 6-4, 200, Flint, MI/Northwestern High School).
"I'm very excited about this year's recruiting class," said Izzo. "I think my staff did an incredible job of knowing what our needs were and going out and trying to get the best possible people to fill those needs. In these three players, I think we did just that. We added talent, athletic ability, offensive skills and defensive skills to this class. I think when you put these three recruits with the players we have coming back and the big men that we have in this program, it's a perfect fit to help us maintain the level at which our program now stands.
"These three players not only bring basketball ability, but are great people on the court, off the court and in the classroom. Our entire staff did a fantastic job throughout the entire recruitment process. On top of that, Stan Heath did a great job over a three-year period in the recruitment of Kelvin Torbert. Head coaches get a lot of credit, but this is truly an example of an assistant coach doing not a good job but a great job of landing a prized recruit."
ALAN ANDERSON (G/F, 6-5, 218, Minneapolis/De LaSalle High School) - Averaged 21.3 points in helping De LaSalle High School to a 24-5 record last season ... Ranked as the No. 22 senior by Bob Gibbons and Dave Telep's Rivals100Hoops.com and No. 25 by Prep Spotlight's MidwestHoops.com ... Shot 48% from the floor, 37% from three-point range and 79% from the free throw line as a junior ... A first-team All-Minnesota selection as a junior, while also earning All-State Tournament honors ... Named the number one surprise player of the summer by The Sporting News ... Participated in the 2000 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival, staring for the North squad ... Also excelled in football as a wide receiver as a junior, helping his team to a state championship ... Plays for head coach Dave Thorson at De LaSalle High School.
Coach Izzo on Anderson: "Alan Anderson brings great versatility to the table as he's capable of playing two or three positions. He's proven this summer that he's not just a good player but a great player with his work at the Nike Camp and his ability to do a lot of different things. He has very good offensive skills, but his strength is the ability to defend which makes him a great catch in my mind. His experience on the football team also brings a toughness that I like. His high school coach, Dave Thorson, worked in the Big Ten (Minnesota) and has done a great job in helping him develop."
CHRIS HILL (G, 6-3, 175, Indianapolis/Lawrence North High School) - Averaged 17 points and 4 assists as a junior in helping Lawrence North High School to an 18-4 record and a No. 6 ranking in Class 4A ... Shot 48% from the floor, 39% from three-point range and 89% from the foul line ... Rated by Vince Baldwin as one of the top-10 combo guards in the Midwest and one of the top-25 combo guards in America ... An Associated Press honorable mention all-state selection as a junior ... Selected to the 2000 All-Tournament Team at the AAU adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas in July 2000... A key member of a Lawrence North squad that posted a 25-2 record as a sophomore ... Played quarterback on the Lawrence North football team, finishing his career as Lawrence North's all-time passing leader in yardage and touchdowns ... Holds a 3.9 grade-point-average ... Plays for head coach Jack Keefer at Lawrence North High School.
Coach Izzo on Hill: "Chris Hill can play the combo-guard position, meaning he has the ability to play some point guard and shooting guard with his strength being the ability to put the ball in the basket. I think he could be one of the best pure shooters we've had in our program since guys like Shawn Respert. He has an uncanny ability to square up and hit long-range shots. I believe Chris is a player who's best basketball is yet to come. If there is a sleeper in the group, it's probably him and yet if there is a player that fits the mold of the kind of guard that I'm looking for, he also rates very high. Chris is a 3.9 student with great leadership skills as he proved while quarterbacking his football team. "
KELVIN TORBERT (G, 6-4, 200, Flint, MI/Northwestern High School) - Averaged 25.1 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4 assists as a junior at Flint Northwestern High School, leading the Wildcats to a 20-3 record ... Named the No. 2 player in the nation by The Sporting News ... Rated the nation's top shooting guard by USA Today ... Ranked the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 3 player in the nation by Dave Telep's Rivals100Hoops.com, Prep Spotlight's MidwestHoops.com and Hoop Scoop ... Bob Gibbons ranks him as the top shooting guard in high school and the number two player overall ... Brick Oettinger ranks him as the number four player overall ... 2000 Parade Magazine third-team All-American ... Has helped Flint Northwestern to a 63-9 record with three city titles and three league championships over the last three seasons ... Earned all-state honors following his sophomore and junior seasons ... Selected to the 2000 All-Tournament Team at the AAU adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas in July 2000 ... Selected to play in the 2000 ABCD Camp Senior All-Star Game ... Plays for head coach Grover Kirkland at Flint Northwestern High School.
Coach Izzo on Torbert: "Kelvin Torbert is definitely one of the elite players to ever play in the state of Michigan. There are few players that come with the versatility that he possesses. We feel that he could play the point or the 2 or 3 positions and also defend all three positions. We also look for him to carry on the Charlie Bell tradition of being a great rebounding guard, while he also has the ability to be a tremendous long-range shooter.
There's no doubt Kelvin Torbert is one of best athletes in the country, but what makes him special is that he is also a great basketball player. There are great athletes and then there are great basketball players. It's not very often that there are great athletes who are great basketball players, but Kelvin is one of those special players."
