Local Stars Shine For MSU

Michigan State Basketball has been on a roll as of late. A lot of the momentum has been built by red hot shooting from behind the three point line. Lansing Sexton grads Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes have been the deadliest of the assassins from long range.

Earlier this week, yahoo.com asked readers to vote for their all-time top five MSU Basketball players. That got me asking myself a couple of questions about the local boys.

A: Where will Denzel Valentine go down on the list of all-time Spartan greats? On his career, he averages 11.1 points,  5.9 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He is only second to Magic Johnson in triple-double games in a season. His court vision and basketball I.Q. are second to none; I could see that his sophomore year of high school while leading Sexton to the first of three MHSAA Championship Weekend appearances. He obviously is this team's Most Valuable Player, and is in contention for National Player of the Year.

B: Where does Bryn Forbes rank in terms of best pure shooter in MSU history? Johnny Green, Kirk Manns, Chris Hill, and Drew Neitzel are all guys who had some of the prettiest shots ever seen in The Brez or in Jenison. And, Forbes has shown that he has the ability to hang with any of them on any given day. When he's hot, opponents have been put on full notice...they just can't stop it. Has he made his mark to put his name into discussion of best shooter?

With tournament time on the way,