Miles Bridges plans on returning to Michigan State next year for his sophomore season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Bridges was projected as the No. 11 pick this year by SB Nation’s most recent mock draft.
Miles Bridges to spurn NBA draft to return to Michigan State, per report
Bridges would have been a lottery pick in June.
Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Bridges joins Texas A&M’s Robert Williams as probable lottery picks who have decided to come back to school. This is huge news for the Spartans, who are now the favorites in the Big Ten and a possible top-five team in the preseason polls.
Bridges had a solid freshman year at Michigan State, averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He was the headliner of what some called Tom Izzo’s greatest recruiting class ever. Now the entire group will be back as sophomores, with Cassius Winston, Josh Langford, and Nick Ward re-joining Bridges in East Lansing.
The Spartans had a young team last season that never hit its stride. Michigan State snuck into the NCAA tournament as a No. 9 seed and defeated Miami in the first round, but ended the year just 20-15 overall.
Bridges will have a talented new teammate next year in Jaren Jackson Jr. The McDonald’s All-American is a 6’11 forward who can shoot from the outside.
With Bridges’ decision to return to school, Deyonta Davis is Tom Izzo’s most recent one-and-done after entering the draft in 2016.
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