"Got them a pg county dog": Kevin Durant fired up after 4-star Cam Ward commits to Michigan State
NBA superstar Kevin Durant was hyped after Michigan State received a commitment from highly-rated recruit Cam Ward. There were plenty of universities chasing the Maryland native, but Ward opted to play under legendary college basketball coach Tom Izzo and officially announced his decision on Tuesday.
Ward was one of the most sought after players in the nation. He attented Largo High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, which was very close to where Durant grew up. The 6-foot-7 forward also spent the summer playing AAU basketball with Team Durant.
While Kevin Durant himself attended the University of Texas, he is a big fan of the Spartans and showed some love for the program and Ward in his latest Instagram story.
"Yessir @k1llacam ... Spartans got them a pg county dog!! Let's go!!" Durant posted.
The "pg" that Durant is referring to is Prince George's County, the Maryland county where Durant and Ward both grew up.
Per 247Sports, Ward is a four-star recruit in the No. 50 ranked high school player in the coutry. He is the No. 14 ranked power forward and is listed as the second best recruit in the state of Maryland.
There were numerous high profile schools interested in landing the the top prospect with Virginia, Maryland and Kansas State all in the picture. He also had offers from Alabama, Florida State, Marquette, Mississippi State, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt.
In the end, however, the idea of playing under coach Izzo was too tempting to resist for Ward.
"He’s just such a legendary guy. Everyone respects him and I’d be a fool not to go play for coach Izzo," said Ward in a recent interview with On3.
Tom Izzo is preparing for his 30th season as Michigan State's head coach. Over that stretch, he has led the Spartans to eight Final Four appearances and won the NCAA National Championship in 2000.
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant was impressed by Michigan State's Breslin Center
The Michigan State Spartans play their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. On game day, it is regarded as one of the most intense atmospheres in college basketball and Kevin Durant got to experience the venue first hand this year.
Durant was a part of the Phoenix Suns side that played an exhibition game against the Detroit Pistons at the Breslin Center on October 8.
"It was amazing. Always good coming back, playing in a college atmosphere, college town ... My first time in East Lansing, so it was good we came up here and left a good impression," said Durant per the Arizona Republic.
Durant was a star player at the University of Texas and had previously faced Michigan State in a game that was played at Madison Square Garden. This was his first time in the Breslin Center and he seemed to enjoy the experience.