Spartans get 2018 3-star point guard Foster Loyer on campus

Tom Izzo and Michigan State have been making moves in-state for the Class of 2018. After getting Macomb native Thomas Kithier to commit last week, the Spartans are making progress on another high school junior.

Foster Loyer, a three-star point guard from Clarkston, Mich., went on a visit to East Lansing on Wednesday. 247Sports ranks the 6-foot Loyer as the fifth-best player in the state of Michigan for 2018. After two years of high school, Loyer is a two-time all-state point guard who averaged about 17 points and five assists in each of his seasons at Clarkston.

Loyer has also received offers from Purdue, Davidson, DePaul and Oakland, but he's considered a heavy favorite to commit to Michigan State. Izzo and Spartan got in the conversation early, offering Loyer in the summer before his freshman year.

"Honestly, I wasn't really even ready for that," Foster recalled to Michigan Live earlier this year. "When he said it, when the words came out of his mouth, it was kind of a shock to me. From that moment on, I just knew that I could do something really special."

He also has ties with the Spartans, as his high school head coach Dan Fife is the father of Michigan State assistant coach Dane Fife.

This winter, Foster spoke with Jared Purcell of Michigan Live about his familiarity with Michigan State's coaching staff.

"You get to know the coaching staff a little bit better because Dane is coach Fife's son," Loyer said. "So, you build a pretty good relationship with him and I'm just looking forward to the future with that."

At about 160 pounds, Loyer isn't yet built to play in the Big Ten, but he has plenty of time to fill out. He has a consistent jumper, but is also a true point guard and told Purcell about the feedback he has received from the Michigan State staff.

"Coach Izzo likes the fact that I communicate pretty well," he said. "I move the ball and I'm not selfish at all. When my shots aren't falling, I look to get other guys involved. Just playing basketball the way it should be played."

In a separate Michigan Live interview, coach Dan Fife agreed.

"I hear all of the time about being able to slow the game down," Fife said. "It's been slow to him since the first time I've ever seen him play in here. ... He sees it."

As the son of former Detroit Pistons interim head coach John Loyer, Foster's Michigan and basketball background goes deeper. Growing up in the area, he has watched the Michigan State program closely over the years.

"Coach Izzo is one of the best coaches out there," Loyer told Michigan Live. "Watching them continue to thrive at the college level right now and just knowing that it is a possibility for you to go to in the future, if you just keep working hard, it's a great feeling."

Loyer has also made visits to Indiana and Ohio State, but has yet to receive an offer from either school.