Four-star forward and Michigan State Spartans target Anthony Thompson made the decision to play for the dominant Western Reserve Academy. In this Spartan Nation Exclusive, Thompson discusses what sold him.
Western Reserve Academy is the reigning prep national champion in men's basketball. It boasts talent like five-star 2025 forward Niko Bundalo, a Michigan State and Tom Izzo priority in the class. The program added another big Spartans target in Anthony Thompson, a 6-foot-7 three-level scorer from the 2026 class.
Thompson, previously a standout for Lebanon High School, made the transfer to Western Reserve this spring. For Thompson, playing for head coach Matt Garvey was the best choice if not the easy one. "Just the development piece for me, just getting better," Thompson said. "Being able to get a lot stronger, be able to just expand my game for the college level. I think that's something I just looked at, my parents looked at a lot.
"He just lets his players play, which you know, I think any player wants. He just lets everybody play freely and it allows players to not have to worry about if they are doing something right or wrong on the court, you know, you get to your spots on offense or on defense and you just play. Play through the game. He allows you to do that."
Michael France is Sports Illustrated's Michigan State recruiting beat writer, covering all things Big Ten recruiting for Spartan Nation. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/XDon’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation
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