Five-star forward Deyonta Davis signs with Spartans

East Lansing -- Michigan State got the signature it was looking for Thursday when Muskegon's Deyonta Davis signed his national letter of intent to play for the Spartans next season.

The 6-foot-9 forward is a consensus top-30 player in the nation and is rated as a five-star prospect. He joins 6-5 shooting guard Matt McQuaid of Duncanville, Texas, and 6-4 guard Kyle Ahrens of Versailles, Ohio.

"I think he has blossomed into something special with the best yet to come," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said of Davis. "He does remind me of an Adreian Payne. He runs the court and is very long, but he doesn't shoot the ball bad either. In fact, his shooting is improving each and every day as they work out.

"But his forte would be to run the court and block shots, and he is very good at that. As he puts on extra strength, I think his plans are to try to win a second state championship, and if he does that, he'll join a guy like Denzel Valentine, and that's worked out pretty well for him. Winning is winning, it doesn't matter which level you win at."

Davis, a member of The Detroit News Dream Team last season, averaged 15 points, 13.6 rebounds and 7.1 blocks as a junior and led Muskegon to a perfect 28-0 record and a Class A state championship, finishing the year ranked No. 20 in the USA Today Top 25.

He is rated the No. 15 player in the nation by ESPN.com, No. 23 by Rivals.com and 247sports.com and No. 29 by Scout.com.

After a pair of classes in 2013 and 2014 that didn't rate highly, this Michigan State class is rated No. 11 by 247sports.com

"It's a very exciting day here at Michigan State," Izzo said. "We signed three kids that are going to really help us in the near future. The class brings versatility; it brings two very good 3-point shooters, it brings some size at 6-5 kind of guards, and then a 6-10 guy in Deyonta Davis who we think is going to be one of the best shot blockers and can score points."

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