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Garrick Sherman

6-foot-10, 235

Kenton (Ohio) High

Four-star recruit, eighth best center in the nation according to Rivals.com

Junior stats: Averaged 23.3 points, 15.5 rebounds and 5 blocks a game, shooting 68 percent from the field

Strengths: scoring, blocked shots, rebounding, passing, shooting range up to 16 feet out, experience (three-year starter)

Needs to improve: strength, hasn’t played stiff competition

Izzo on Sherman: “He has great skills, very good timing, a tremendous work ethic and he is a very intelligent player that does all the little things.”

Derrick Nix

6-foot-9, 275 pounds

Detroit Pershing High

Three-star recruit, 16th best center in the nation according to Rivals.com

Junior stats: Averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds a game while leading Pershing to a 22-5 record.

Strengths: offensive skills, scoring around the basket, communication

Needs to improve: weight, conditioning

Izzo on Nix: “There’s a little bit of chance on all our parts because he has such size … but what we like is he loved to play. I think that’s the critical part of being a big man is somebody who loves to play.”

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MSU picks up two recruits on national signing day

The MSU men’s basketball program prepared for the loss of three senior post players from this year’s team with the signing of two centers for its 2009 recruiting class Wednesday.

Derrick Nix, a 6-foot-9 center from Pershing High in Detroit, and Garrick Sherman, a 6-foot-10 center from Kenton High in Kenton, Ohio, each signed national letters of intent to play basketball at MSU on national signing day.

MSU head coach Tom Izzo said both are very good players who will fill the void left by the departure of seniors Idong Ibok, Goran Suton and Marquise Gray.

“Every year, you look at what you want and everybody’s looking for the next monster big man who’s going to make a serious impact right away,” Izzo said. “I’m not sure if we have exactly that, but we’re good with what we have — we did not settle for anything — we settled for what we thought was best for us.”

The Spartans still have one scholarship available for the 2009 class, but Izzo said he wasn’t sure if they were going to sign another player. Izzo said he is still recruiting players, looking for the “right guy,” but said “in this day and age, you never say never.”

Published on Wednesday, November 12, 2008