Michigan State fans were overjoyed when the Spartans earned the commitment of the son of one of the greatest players to come through the basketball program, Jason Richardson.

Jase Richardson was a four-star and one of the best combo guards in the class of 2024. At the time, all that really mattered was the name, and the player was an afterthought.

That is no longer the case, as Jase Richardson established himself as a great collegiate player in his own right, who is now on the verge of entering the NBA as a likely first-round pick, perhaps even a lottery.

Nobody really saw it coming, at least not in his freshman season. But despite coming off the bench to start the season, it didn’t take long until it started to become clear that the freshman legacy truly was the Spartans’ best player, even before his 29-point burst against Oregon in February.

From that game on, though, Michigan State had its go-to scorer that fans had been waiting to see emerge. Jase Richardson was one of the main reasons the Spartans went on the Big Ten title run they did, and the rest of the nation took notice along the way.