EAST LANSING -- Michigan State players are spending their week taking final exams, so I may as well follow suit.
I put out a call on Twitter this week for questions for our first Michigan State basketball mailbag of the season. And you responded with queries about the Spartans' rotation, records being broken and (of course) recruiting.
Here's the first 2018-19 version of the Ask Austin mailbag:
Q: Who’s more important/glue/energy guy, McQuaid or Goins? -- Mike
A: I think both tend to be undervalued because their primary contributions aren’t on the score sheet. McQuaid definitely does some things that go underappreciated, particularly with his defense. But Goins, to me, fits the “glue guy” definition better than anyone.
Except scoring, he's done just about everything well this season. He's been the team's most consistent rebounder. He defends well, particularly considering he's often guarding someone bigger than him. And he's the first to hit the floor for a loose ball.
Plus, if you've broken your nose twice and been poked in the eye, I'm pretty sure that automatically makes you a glue guy.
Q: Izzo seems to be set on a rotation, but is there any possibility it changes? Such as Foster Loyer getting more backup minutes or a freshmen emerging into a role? -- Alex
A: This is something I’ve been wondering about, because watching Tom Izzo regularly play an eight-player rotation is throwing me off. I keep waiting for him to add a freshman or two to the mix to get up to the typical Izzo-sized rotation.
But after 10 games of him sticking to that rotation -- save for blowouts and foul trouble -- and insisting he's content with it, I'm starting to believe that this is the group for the season and it's unlikely to change.
The freshmen -- save for Aaron Henry -- simply need more development time. It's possible that someone emerges throughout the rest of the season and finds a role. But given where they are now compared to who Michigan State has in its rotation, I'd say that's unlikely to happen.
As for backup point guard, I think it's likely that Matt McQuaid stays in that role for the foreseeable future. That will in turn create more of a hole at McQuaid's typical position on the wing, but Kyle Ahrens proved over the last two weeks that he's ready for that role. That seems the preferred option over Foster Loyer there.
Q: Where will Winston finish for career assists at MSU? -- Lions plz tank
A: I think, barring injury, Cassius Winston is a pretty safe bet to break Mateen Cleaves' record of 816 assists and become the school’s career leader in the category.
Winston is already ninth on that list with 498 career assists, having passed Magic Johnson earlier this season. If he were to average his current career rate of 6.2 assists per game and play 35 games this season and next season, he would finish his career with 868 assists, easily surpassing Cleaves.
And if anything, that guess is on the low end. Winston's career average is 6.2 per game, but that average has gone up throughout his career (he's averaging 7.5 per game through 10 games this year.) And if this season and next season's postseason go better than the last two did, Winston should have more than 35 games a year to rack up assists.
Q: Anything new on the Isaiah Stewart or Anthony Edwards recruitment? -- Parker
A: Nothing concrete. Just, as always, more speculation.
The consensus among recruiting analysts is that Vernon Carey going to Duke makes it less likely that Stewart ends up there. That's good news for Michigan State, obviously, but I wouldn't start buying Stewart jerseys just yet. It's hard to ever totally count Duke out. And Washington very much remains a player here -- the Huskies coach, former long Syracuse assistant Mike Hopkins, developed a relationship early with Stewart, a Rochester, N.Y. native.
Stewart's taken all of his official visits now, and between that and Carey picking a spot, a commitment could be coming soon (but don't blame me if it doesn't.)
Edwards is likely going to take a little longer. He still plans on taking his official visits in January and February -- including one to Michigan State. February looks like the earliest that that commitment will wrap up, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it stretch past the regular season, either.
Q: How do you think MSU finishes out the recruiting class for 2019? -- Jason
A: I don’t have a crystal ball, but Michigan State appears to be in pretty good shape with Stewart.
He's about the only 2019 target left that seems like a good bet to join the class. Michigan State is still in a crowded field for Edwards. Keion Brooks canceled his official visit and hasn't rescheduled, which usually isn't a good sign.
So if the Spartans can land Stewart, that would make for a solid, well-balanced class. If not, and Nick Ward leaves, here’s betting they go after a big man either late in the recruiting cycle or on the graduate transfer market.