College basketball: Michigan State vs. Michigan

Michigan State guard Gary Harris (14) talks with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo during their Big Ten basketball game against Michigan at the Breslin Center in East Lansing on Saturday January, 25, 2014. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

EAST LANSING -- In 19 years leading Michigan State, Tom Izzo has had more Final Four appearances (six) than players who have left school early for the NBA (five).

That's true even after this year, when the Spartans came up one game short of the Final Four, and one player (so far) has declared for the draft.

Gary Harris announced Monday that he will leave Michigan State after two years and declare himself eligible for the 2014 draft. By doing so, he becomes just the fifth player coached by Izzo to declare early for the draft (Erazem Lorbek left Michigan State after one season to play professionally in 2003 but did not declare for the NBA draft until 2005.)

For three of the other four Spartan early entrants under Izzo, the decision worked out well: they were picked in the first round and played at least eight seasons in the NBA.

Shannon Brown (2006, junior): Drafted in the first round, 25th overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brown is in his eighth NBA season and still an active member of the New York Knicks. He won two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, and averaged 7.7 points per game, including double-digit averages in 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Zach Randolph (2001, freshman): Randolph is in his 13th NBA season after being picked 19th overall by the Portland Trailblazers. In more than 800 career games, Randolph is averaging 17.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. He was selected to the All-Star game in 2009-10 and 2012-13.

Jason Richardson (2001, sophomore): Richardson is the highest draft pick of the Izzo era and became fifth Spartan to be picked in the top five when he was picked fifth overall by Golden State. In his 12-year career with five teams, Richardson has averaged 17.3 points per game. He has not played this season as he recovers from knee surgery.

Marcus Taylor (2002, sophomore): The only Tom Izzo early entrant to not make the NBA, Taylor was drafted in the second round of the 2002 draft and played in various minor and overseas leagues until 2009.

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