The Langford family has a saying.

“You either wanna feel the pain of discipline or feel the pain of regret.”

For Madison (Ala.) Academy guard Joshua Langford, the pain of discipline is what he figures will help get him to where he wants to go. And they see Michigan State coach Tom Izzo as the right combination of love and push to get Joshua to be the best he can be.

So the 6-foot-6, 200-pound Langford committed to the Spartans on Sunday.

“Tom Izzo is a guy we feel like perpetuates the pain of discipline and it will help you to be a better person along with achieving your goals,” said Tellus Langford, Joshua’s father. “He is disciplinary and he is going to push and push, but he is going to love you as hard as he pushes you.”

The commitment came from his first official visit, a bit of a gamble on the part of Michigan State to get Langford on campus early and make its case. The Spartans coaches even hoped it would be earlier, but with prior obligations, this was the first free time for the Langfords to make the trip.

So after Langford wrapped up a trip to Italy with the USA Select Team and a tournament in Portland, Ore., the family headed for East Lansing for a visit that lasted Wednesday through Friday.

Going in, Tellus had in mind a few schools that he knew he would be happy with his son choosing, with Michigan State being one of them. He had heard good things from those he talked to, including distant cousin Jeffery Langford, the father of former Michigan State running back Jeremy Langford.

And on the trip, he started to see why people spoke highly of Michigan State and he began being sold on the Spartans.

“I think, for me, it was the family atmosphere. They don’t just talk it, they actually walk it,” Langford said.

The Langfords kept that in mind, heading home to Alabama on Friday afternoon. Tellus left Joshua to his own thoughts Saturday, not talking about the trip until Sunday evening at a family roundtable.

The original intent was to plan the rest of the summer’s visits, but Joshua said “I’m done. I don’t wanna take any more visits.” His parents suggested taking more to make sure, but Joshua was completely set.

“That’s when he told me I’m pretty confident that I found my home,” Langford said. “He was pretty adamant that he was sure. He felt at home with the coaching staff and with the players and he didn’t want to take anymore visits.”

So the Langfords called Michigan State and Izzo to let them know their decision, bypassing a list of offers that included Kentucky, Kansas, Louisville and just about any other suitor in the nation.

The one official visit was enough, as Joshua had been interested in Michigan State from the start, attracted to the basketball tradition and above all: Izzo.

“Joshua is a kid that he doesn’t just talk about the greatest, he actually wants to do it and actually wants to achieve it,” Tellus said. “He knows Coach Izzo is going to push him physically and mentally.”

On the visit, Joshua picked up that feeling from Izzo. And Tellus felt it, too, as he saw everything he needed to at Michigan State.

“For my son to be in a situation of going off to college,” he said, “I want somebody that cares about my son on and off the court – his well-being as a person, as well as a basketball player.

“I felt like I got all of those things at Michigan State from Coach Izzo.”