The Detroit News' top 20 players in Michigan State men's basketball history

1. Earvin “Magic” Johnson (1977-79): A program icon whose statue stands outside the Breslin Center, Magic Johnson helped put Michigan State on the map, leading the Spartans to the 1979 national championship. In two seasons, the Lansing native averaged 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.9 assists, including three separate games of 14 assists. From there, he was off to the NBA where he would cement himself as one of the legends of the game, being named the league’s MVP three times while winning five NBA titles.

2. Mateen Cleaves (1996-2000): The Flint native was the heart and soul of Tom Izzo’s 2000 national championship team, capping his career with three straight Big Ten titles and becoming the Big Ten’s all-time assists leader, a spot he held until this season when surpassed by Cassius Winston. A consensus first-team All-American in 1999 and one of 10 players to have his number retired, Cleaves still holds the program record with 20 assists in a game.

3. Cassius Winston (2016-20): A two-time consensus second-team All-American, Winston became the Big Ten’s all-time assists leader as a senior, surpassing Mateen Cleaves. The Big Ten Player of the Year as a junior, Winston was part of three straight Big Ten championship teams and led the Spartans to the 2019 Final Four. A career 43-percent shooter from 3-point range, Winston ranks fifth in program history with 259 made triples.

4. Scott Skiles (1982-86): One of the most fiery players in program history, Skiles was a consensus second-team All-American as a senior in 1986, the same season he averaged 27.4 points and 6.5 assists. He led the Spartans to a third-place finish in the Big Ten and a spot in the Sweet 16 before the controversial loss to Kansas. His No. 4 hangs in the Breslin Center rafters for a player whose 850 points as a senior still ranks as the best in MSU history.

5. Steve Smith (1987-91): The second-leading scorer in program history, the Detroit native helped Michigan State back to the top of the Big Ten as a junior after going a decade without a conference title. He bumped his scoring average nearly five points the next season, averaging 25.1 as a senior while earning consensus second-team All-American honors. He left MSU as the program’s all-time leading scorer at the time before being drafted No. 5 overall by the Miami Heat, eventually having his No. 21 retired.

6. Shawn Respert (1990-95): The all-time leading scorer in Michigan State history, Respert was the Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior and earned consensus first-team All-American honors by averaging 25.6 points per game while making a school-record 119 3-pointers. Respert, who along with Johnny Green had his No. 24 retired, was also first-team All-Big Ten as a junior while also scoring 20.1 points as a sophomore and 15.8 as a freshman.

7. Greg Kelser (1975-79)L Known by many as Magic Johnson’s sidekick in the 1979 national title team, Kelser averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in his four seasons and is the only player in program history to score more than 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. Kelser, whose No. 32 hangs in the Breslin rafters, was especially effective in the postseason, highlighted by the ’79 title run when he averaged 25.4 points and 10.6 rebounds in five games, highlighted by 34 points against Notre Dame in the regional final.

8. Johnny Green (1956-59): Jumpin’ Johnny Green still stands as one of the greatest rebounders in program history, as his career average of 16.4 rebounds a game still stands as MSU’s best. He still ranks third in total rebounds with 1,036, trailing only Draymond Green and Greg Kelser, who each played four full seasons while Green played three. He helped the Spartans reach their first Final Four in 1957 as a sophomore and earned All-American honors in each of his final two seasons.

9. Denzel Valentine (2012-16): The Lansing native enjoyed one of the best individual seasons in MSU history as a senior, averaging 19.2 points, 7.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds while earning national player of the year honors from the Associated Press, USA Today, Sports Illustrated and the NABC as well as being named Big Ten Player of the Year. Valentine is fourth in program history in assists (639), won a Big Ten title and helped MSU reach the 2015 Final Four.

10. Draymond Green (2008-12): The NABC national player of the year in 2012, Green won three Big Ten championships in his career and reached the Final Four twice. He averaged 16.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a senior, earning consensus All-American honors while being named the Big Ten Player of the Year. Green is also the program’s all-time leading rebounder (1,096) while he and Greg Kelser are the only players with more than 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. His No. 23 was retired in December.

11. Morris Peterson (1995-2000): As Mateen Cleaves’ running mate for four seasons, a run that culminated with the 2000 national title, Peterson hardly took a back seat. He averaged 16.8 points and six rebounds as a senior while shooting 42.5 percent on 3-pointers and being named Big Ten Player of the Year. A consensus second-team All-American as a senior whose No. 42 has been retired, Peterson earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a junior, the first to do so without being a starter.

12. Jay Vincent (1977-81): Vincent was a key piece to the 1979 championship run, even as he was hobbled during the tournament by a foot injury. He fought through it to help the Spartans earn a title, then emerged as a standout his final two seasons, averaging 21.6 points and 7.7 rebounds as a junior, and 22.6 points and 8.5 rebounds as a senior. He earned All-American honors that season and with 1,914 points, ranks seventh in program history.

13. Kalin Lucas (2007-11): The Big Ten Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2009, Lucas still ranks fifth in the program in scoring with 1,996 points, a number that surely would have increased had he not ruptured his Achilles in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. After leading MSU to the national title game the season before, Lucas’ injury didn’t keep MSU from getting back to the Final Four, but likely ended any shot of another national title for Izzo. He returned for his senior season and averaged 17 points a game, though the season ended with a first-round tournament loss.

14. Miles Bridges (2016-18): In just two seasons, Bridges managed to score 1,055 points while earning Freshman All-American honors in 2017, and following that with a sophomore season that included first-team All-Big Ten honors as well as consensus second-team All-American accolades. An explosive athlete, Bridges also had a career-high 21 rebounds in a game against Savanah State as a sophomore, the same game he had a program-record 19 defensive rebounds.

15. Mike Robinson (1971-74): Had Robinson been able to play as a freshman, there’s no telling where he might stand in the MSU record book. As it is, his 1,717 points rank 11th in program history while is 24.2 points per game average still stands as the best. A two-time Big Ten scoring champ, Robinson scored a career-high 40 points as a junior against Northwestern.

16. Terry Furlow (1972-76): The ninth-leading scorer in program history, the Flint native’s senior season was one of the most impressive from a scoring standpoint ever at MSU. That season, Furlow averaged an MSU-best 29.4 points a game, including 31 points in Big Ten games. He scored 50 points in a game against Iowa that season – still an MSU record – and three days later scored 48 against Northwestern as he went on to earn second-team All-American honors.

17. Charlie Bell (1997-2001): A prolific scorer coming out of Flint, Bell was part of one of the most impressive stretches in team history. Michigan State won the Big Ten championship in all four of Bell’s seasons and reached the Final Four in the last three, bringing home the national championship in 2000. Bell started 136 games during his time and as a senior, was forced to play point guard and still was first-team All-Big Ten and named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.

18. Sam Vincent (1981-85): Vincent shared the court with Scott Skiles for the bulk of his career, yet still managed to pile up 1,851 points, good for eighth in Michigan State history. He earned All-American honors as well as a spot on the All-Big Ten first team as a senior, scoring 23 points a game and handing out four assists. Vincent started 109 of his 110 career games and scored 32 points in his only NCAA Tournament appearance, a loss to UAB.

19. Ralph Simpson (1969-70): Before the era of one-and-done, there was Ralph Simpson. Unable to play as a freshman, Simpson’s sophomore season was spectacular. He averaged 29 points and scored more than 35 in a game seven times, including a 42-point performance in a win over Western Michigan. Simpson also averaged 10.3 rebounds and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors while garnering third-team All-American recognition from the NABC. He then opted to leave Michigan State and was drafted by the Denver Rockets of the ABA.

20. Drew Neitzel (2004-08): In a career that began as a freshman on the 2005 Final Four team and ended as the young group led by Kalin Lucas was taking over, Neitzel filled the gap as one of the most versatile guards in the Izzo era, standing out as both a point guard and shooting guard. His 273 3-pointers still rank third in program history while his 582 assists are fifth-best. His best season came as a junior in 2006-07 when he averaged 18.1 points and 4.3 assists while making 114 3-pointers, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors and almost single-handedly getting the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament.