Graham Couch

Lansing State Journal

CHICAGO – Miles Bridges definitely paused when speaking about Josh Jackson. Perhaps he caught himself. Maybe it was nothing. Probably nothing. It might have been something.

Welcome to “Josh Jackson Decision 2016.” This is what it’s coming to — analyzing the verbal pauses of Michigan State’s other incoming recruits for clues as to what Jackson might decide. Check that: has decided. He knows where he's going to college. Bridges knows, too. Neither is saying. Likely not for a few more weeks, Jackson said after Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American game. He’s got a busy schedule and wants to do it when life slows and he can be around family and friends.

There is something ridiculous, almost demeaning about hanging on every word of a 19-year-old. Even if it’s part of the job. Even if he's the nation's top-ranked recruit. I’d like to tell Jackson to get over himself and share his decision. Spit it out. So the rest of us can get on with our lives that will or won’t involve him.

The thing is, he’s worth the fuss. He’s that good. Against the best high school basketball players in the country — probably a dozen other future pros — Jackson stood out. He plays above the rim and beyond the arc. He can handle the basketball and finish on the drive. And he can pass. And defend. And at 6-foot-7 and a shade under 200 pounds, he can play three positions, including point guard. He scored 19 points in 17 minutes Wednesday, winning co-MVP. He would have scored two more, but his first emphatic put-back dunk was over the back of a teammate, who got credit for the bucket.

Jackson is as close to a complete player as you’ll find between high school and the NBA. He’s finishing the former, soon to be in the latter. In-between he’ll play for …

That brings us back to Bridges’ pause — either the most interesting or least interesting moment of the night. Of the many inquiries this week about Jackson’s whereabouts next season — MSU, Kansas or Arizona — this was not one of them. The question to Bridges was about how much he’d played and worked out with his future teammates. Not specifically the other incoming freshmen, but that’s the way Bridges took it.

“I play with them every all-star event, because we’re just trying to get to know each other,” Bridges began. “I play with Cassius (Winston) all the time. I try to work out with him when I’m at home. And Josh Jackson, too. Like I try to get him to …(pause) … come to Michigan State.”

His cadence changed. He was rolling along, lumping Jackson in with Winston as a future teammate before realizing he was close to giving away a secret. Or that’s not at all what happened, and he was simply distracted or naturally speaks with odd pauses.

Until Jackson shares his decision or Bridges accidentally does it for him, part of MSU’s basketball world stands still.

And the imagination of MSU fans runs wild. It should. You ought to be able enjoy even the possibility of Jackson, Bridges, Winston, Joshua Langford and Nick Ward as an incoming class.

Wednesday night was another metaphorical coat of Neosporin over still-healing wounds from March Madness.

Four days after future point guard Winston dazzled in leading U-D Jesuit to a state championship, Bridges and Langford — and perhaps Jackson — offered another glimpse of MSU’s future.

Talkin' Spartans after dark: Reading clues on Josh Jackson

With or without Jackson, it’ll be fascinating to see how it all fits next season. At 6-7, 225 pounds, Bridges is a one-and-done talent who appears to have the potential to be a cross between Morris Peterson and Branden Dawson. Langford might have more years to give MSU. In a game full of highlight-reel athletes, though, the 6-5 Langford added a crafty and smooth element to Wednesday night. Players like him are often overshadowed in games like this. The old-man game, beautiful as it is, doesn’t translate in run-and-gun all-star games. Langford wasn’t outdone, finishing with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting, including a one-foot baseline jumper, a 3-pointer and Euro-step for a layup. If he’s not starting for MSU next season, it’s probably because Josh Jackson is on the roster.

Langford has already begun thinking about how it’ll all come together.

“I think about it a lot,” he said. “I’m just excited to get out there. Coach (Tom) Izzo, I know he’s going to do a great job with us. (As a team) we’re in a group (text) message. We talk about goals for next year. It’s winning a national championship. We know it’s going to take everybody in a cohesive group playing together and working hard.”

The only question is, who’s everybody?

Graham Couch can be reached at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

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