Couch: Minus Romeo Weems, Michigan State's next best chance at a title remains 2019-2020

I’m not sure what Romeo Weems will become as a college basketball player. He’s a powerful athlete, in the legs especially. Stands 6-foot-7. His game is a bit raw, but versatile. He’s a willing though inconsistent shooter. Has an edge to him, doesn’t lose well, from what I’ve seen. He would have contributed right away at Michigan State.

Weems, a top-40 recruit long-rumored to be headed to MSU, verbally committed to DePaul on Tuesday afternoon. It’s a curious choice considering how much he hates losing and wants to be a pro. DePaul hasn't had a winning season or sent a player to the NBA in 11 years. His short list also included Oregon, Michigan and Ohio State, all winning programs.

From MSU’s standpoint, it’s a blow, but not a program-changing one — unless this is the beginning of the end of Tom Izzo’s recruiting wall around Michigan after a turbulent few months for MSU’s coach. The sample size is too small to say that yet. Each recruit has his own set of circumstances.

Weems could have been for MSU in 2019-2020 what Isaiah Livers or Nojel Eastern were as freshmen last season for Michigan and Purdue, respectively — two similarly sized impact newcomers who, in supporting roles, added a dimension to Final Four-caliber teams.

That’s the Spartans’ next best chance to contend on a national stage, with or without Weems, in what’s become an every-other-year occurrence for most of the last decade.

MSU should be in that realm again in two years, when Cassius Winston and Joshua Langford are seniors in the backcourt, Xavier Tillman is an upperclassman at center, and when the five incoming freshmen, none of whom are likely one-and-dones, are sophomores.

It’s easy then to picture the Spartans in a similar position to ’14, ’16 and ’18 — with a legitimate chance to be playing on college basketball’s final weekend. It didn’t work out in any of those years, but those teams had the goods to be in play. To win a national championship, you have to start there, with a roster that can do it. 

MSU has at least three scholarships available for 2019 — more unless Nick Ward plays through his senior year and everyone sticks around. The Spartans would love to add Fort Lauderdale big man Vernon Carey, the No. 2-ranked player in the nation. So would Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina. So, we’ll see. Fort Wayne’s Keion Brooks, a top-30 recruit in 2019, is also high on the Spartans. So it still could turn into an incredible class.

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But the core of MSU’s next best chance to compete for a national championship is otherwise already on campus, including five new players — point guard Foster Loyer, wings Aaron Henry and Gabe Brown and big men Thomas Kithier and Marcus Bingham Jr.

It’s an intriguing class, an important one, given its size, though not one that’ll bring scores of NBA scouts to practices. Bingham might be the exception. He’s a rail, but he’s skilled and as long as Jaren Jackson Jr. He grew late, so you can see the guard skills in his game. If he puts on 30 pounds, who knows.

Loyer is perhaps the most anticipated of them, a point guard, but the purest shooter Izzo has landed coming out of high school.

That group with a year of seasoning could be formidable.

But what MSU becomes over the next two years begins with Winston. It’s his squad. Does he develop the edge it takes to push a team over the top? Can he get is body strong enough and quick enough to turn a corner and finish at the rim? Will Langford become a knock-down outside shooter and also figure out how to finish with confidence in traffic or at least get to the line? Does Tillman’s offensive game further evolve to where he plays like a better-rebounding Al Horford? 

I don’t think next season’s Spartans, even if Ward returns, are likely to be among the national front-runners. Too many new parts. Too much growth still needed from Winston, Langford and Tillman. Perhaps it’ll come together quickly or late in the season, like in 2014-15. Maybe Matt McQuaid will have a Travis Trice-like close to his senior year, and MSU will make an unexpected Final Four run. That run three years ago, however, had its limitations. That team was never going to beat Duke. I think this team will also have limitations.

A year from now, though, the Spartans should have a shot. A slightly better one if Weems had chosen MSU.

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