ABOUT THIS EPISODE
September 18, 2026: This afternoon, Michigan State fans got get an answer on one of the biggest recruiting questions of the 2027 cycle when four-star point guard Antonio Pemberton announces his college commitment. The 6-foot-1 guard from Masters Academy International has emerged as one of the top point guards in the class, and Michigan State is one of eight finalists for his services. Pemberton’s decision comes just days after his visit to East Lansing for MSU’s Grind Week, making the timing particularly intriguing as Tom Izzo looked to add another high-level point guard to the Spartan pipeline. We’ll break down Pemberton’s game, his fit at Michigan State, what his commitment would mean for the 2027 class, and what the Spartans could potentially be building around him in the backcourt.
We also looked beyond Pemberton and examine the next phase of Michigan State’s 2027 recruiting efforts. Four-star center Jaydn Jenkins was another prominent Grind Week visitor and remains a major target, while four-star big man Kamsi Awaka has recently entered the picture and has Michigan State among his finalists. With Izzo looking to add size and talent to the frontcourt, which of those two could emerge as the next significant commitment target for the Spartans? We’ll take a closer look at Jenkins and Awaka, their games and recruiting situations, and discuss how the Pemberton decision could shape what comes next for Michigan State.
OUR AWESOME SPONSORS
Every great podcast needs great sponsors. And we’re fortunate to have three that not only support the show, but also make it more fun for you guys.
First up: Nudge Printing. If you’re looking for Michigan State gear, there are approximately 47,000 places on the internet willing to sell you a green T-shirt. But we recommend going with the Spartans who actually know what they’re doing. Nudge Printing is owned and operated by MSU alums Gabe and Brittany, right here in Michigan. They make some seriously good Spartan apparel, along with gear for a bunch of other schools. And, perhaps most importantly to you, Nudge supplies the apparel and gift cards for our listener contests. So when you win something on the show, there’s a pretty good chance Nudge is the reason you have something to put on your body or spend at the mall. Check them out, support a couple of fellow Spartans, and get yourself some new gear.
Then there are The Brothers that just do Gutters. You know what gutters do? They keep water out of places where water shouldn't be. You know what we want Michigan State to do? Keep opposing players out of places where opposing players shouldn't be. That's why The Brothers are the official sponsor of our “player MSU needs to keep in the gutter” segment. It’s a match made in heaven. If your gutters are overflowing, clogged, damaged, or generally behaving like a Big Ten defense that has forgotten its assignments, call Kurt Stauffer and the Grand Rapids crew. The Brothers that just do Gutters — Grand Rapids They handle installation, repair, cleaning, maintenance and gutter guards throughout the Grand Rapids area. They also have you covered in Metro Detroit. The Brothers that just do Gutters — Metro Detroit Mention “Final Four” to get 10% off your gutter work. That's a much better discount than the one you'll get if you tell your contractor you finished second in your office pool.
And finally, our friends at Squeegee Squad of Grand Rapids. We’ve decided that if two people are going to spend an entire basketball season arguing about who is better at cleaning the glass, we might as well have a professional window-cleaning company sponsor it. Thus, Squeegee Squad sponsors our “who cleans the glass best?” competition. They specialize in residential and commercial window cleaning, along with pressure and soft washing, gutter cleaning and other exterior cleaning services. Basically, if it's dirty and attached to your house or business, they probably have a way to make it look better. Squeegee Squad of Grand Rapids And if you'd like to let someone else handle the dirty work, you can request a free estimate here.
We genuinely appreciate all three of these businesses for supporting the show. And yes, we realize there is a certain amount of irony in having a gutter company sponsor a segment about putting an opposing player in the gutter while a window-cleaning company sponsors a competition about cleaning the glass. We didn't plan it this perfectly. It just happened.
#michiganstatebasketball #msuhoops #bigtenbasketball #antoniopemberton #jadynjenkins #kamsiawaka #highschoolrecruiting
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