ESPN

Senior guard Alvin Ellis, of Chicago's De La Salle High School, committed and signed his letter of intent to the Michigan State Spartans on Wednesday.

Ellis, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, was previously signed with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He averaged 20 points, six rebounds and four rebounds for De La Salle in the Chicago Catholic League this past season.

MeanStreets AAU coach Tai Streets, Ellis’ club coach, thought Ellis would excel at Michigan State under Spartans coach Tom Izzo.

“I love Izzo though I’m a Michigan alum,” said Streets, who played football at Michigan. “That’s my guy. I know I’m going to get into trouble for that, but it’s true. If it’s not Michigan, you can’t go wrong with Izzo.

“I think it’s a great fit for Alvin. First of all, he’s a hard worker. He’s in the gym every day. His shot has improved. His ball handling has improved. Everything has improved. He’s going to be great at Michigan State. I think it’s a steal.”

Izzo, who missed out on fellow Chicago recruit Jabari Parker earlier this year, also spoke highly of Ellis in a statement.

“Alvin will be a great addition to our backcourt,” Izzo said. “We like his offensive skill set, especially his shooting touch, hitting 40 percent from three each of the last two seasons. He has good length and versatility, with the ability to defend a couple different positions on the perimeter. Combine his great work ethic, his great family background and his commitment to academics, and I expect him to be the type of player that really develops during his time as a Spartan, enjoying the complete student-athlete experience.”

Ellis joins his former high school teammate Gavin Schilling in Michigan State’s 2013 recruiting class. Ellis and Schilling were teammates at De La Salle during their junior seasons. Schilling spent his senior season at Findlay Prep in Nevada.

With the early signing period in the rearview mirror and the spring signing period not starting until April 17, we have a chance to analyze the best uncommitted prospects in the Class of 2013 and analyze their recruitment.

So each week between now and the spring signing period, our RecruitingNation staff will break down a different best available senior, looking at what makes him special, freshman projections in college, decision factors and ultimately a prediction on where he signs.

We start the series not at No. 1 with Andrew Wiggins but at No. 2 with Jabari Parker, since his recruitment is further along and a decision could be coming as soon as this month. Parker has narrowed his list to five finalists: BYU, Duke, Florida, Michigan State and Stanford.

Here's how our basketball recruiting experts see his recruitment playing out.

Read the entire story.

Rated the nation’s No. 4 wide receiver and No. 38 recruit in the ESPN 150, Crete-Monee (Crete, Ill.) wide receiver Laquon Treadwell sets an example for his younger brother with the hard work he puts in off the field.

Read the entire story.