The future is now. Michigan and Michigan State don't play each other until 2003. But the clock is already running for the 2004 season and beyond, as Tommy Amaker and Tom Izzo, and company, have been picking out future lineups all summer. The Spartans continued that golden touch in-state as well as grabbing an all-American from Chicago while Michigan has mixed and matched hometown prodigies with national talent.

The most recent commitment to Michigan was 6'8" Griffin, Georgia senior Brent Petway. He's an athletic four man. At the 16-under national tournament in 2001 Brent was one of the best players I saw. By point of comparison, the other players I remember off-hand from that tournament were guys like Kendrick Perkins, Ndudi Ebe, Brandon Cotton, Ronnie Brewer (note: he and Olu would give Arkansas an NCAA-worty perimeter game, and beyond), Michael Nardi, Steve Hailey and PJ Tucker. Those guys are all top 100 talent, at least, and Petway fits right there. He was way better than more famously-named Georgia Stars forward Patrick Ewing, and future Georgetown point guard Michael Causey. Brent was tall, long; dunked and blocked shots. Michigan can use that, for sure.

Prior to getting Petway the Wolverines had solidified the home front with 6'6" junior Ronald Coleman from Romulus and 6'4" senior Dion Harris from Detroit Redford. Both these guys have proved Amaker's ahead of the game. Coleman was one of the standout juniors at the nike all-American camp. There he showed that not only is he an instinctive and hard-working inside player but a guy who has really worked on his shot.

Harris, meanwhile, rebounded from the indignity of being cut by Ernie "Bronze" Kent to turn it out at the Vegas Big Time tournament. Dion remains the one player that, regardless of what goes on in East Lansing, Michigan fans can point to and say, "We got one just as good as any of y'all."

That said, Michigan still hasn't got that starting center prospect, a guy who can bang and defend the paint. Michigan State did, however, with the addition of 6'10" North Muskegon senior Drew Naymick. He was pursued gamely by both state teams. While fellow Westsiders like 6'9" Grand Rapids South Christian and 6'10" Forest Hills Central senior Kyle Visser have received some deserved national attention of late, Naymick remains the state's best big man by a recognizable amount. Walters and Visser are more graceful facing the basket and may change ends quicker. 6'10" Detroit Southeastern senior Walter Waters (Pitt) has a better post-up game, if due to sheer strength if nothing else. Naymick, meanwhile, is a true two-feet jumping power player who finishes with authority -- something Walters, Waters and Visser can't do -- and plays defense with his head, heart and extremities. Let's put it this way. Scott Williams will always get a basketball paycheck. Chris Burgess won't.

Naymick has something in common with three of the Spartans' four other commitments. He's a fellow Drew N. from West Michigan along with 5'10" junior Drew Neitzel. And Naymick is one of three Class C players. The others are 6'0" Detroit DePorres senior Brandon Cotton and 6'7" Flint Beecher junior Marquise Gray.

There won't be a better guard combination entering college basketball next year than Cotton and Shannon Brown, a 6'3", consensus top 10 player out of Chicago. During Izzo's tenure as head coach the Spartans have gotten key players from, obviously, Michigan, as well as Ohio, Indiana and Minnesota. Now they have made a successful foray into Illinois, home turf of Bill Self and the Illini as well as a long-time producer for Duke and Chicago native son Coach K (there are two Chicago-area kids in Duke's 2002 class alone). The Devils were also pursuing Brown, which makes his commitment to the Spartans all the more impressive.

Some have compared Cotton's game to Allen Iverson's. At the same age AI was all speed. I'd say BC is, as a high school player, more like a guy who is able to size-be-damned get in the lane and score at will -- which is what Isiah Thomas was able to do in the NBA. That's like Iverson, too, to an extent, but Cotton uses that Isiah-esque pull-up shot. Then he'll dunk like a young Iverson.

Coming into MSU a year after Cotton is another point guard, Neitzel. You can project him both backing up and playing alongside Cotton in the backcourt. This kid passes like few others and has more than enough scoring moves and shooting range to keep defenders guessing. He, Brown and Cotton are all triple threats.

Gray is a one-way threat, with two options. He's going to put the ball in the hoop whether he has to go around you or over you. Check this guy at all costs when he's at the elbow-extended, he's so explosive. Marquise plays big because of his strength, ups and energy on the glass. Depending on how he develops physically, Gray will end up like an Antonio Smith, Andre Hutson or Matt Steigenga-type player at Michigan State. And never, ever, like Mike Chappell. I like any of those first three options. As a tall, strong guy who can both power and sky on his dunks Marquise is very similar to Steigenga or Matt Trannon. If Gray improves on his 50-percent foul shooting he'll easily score 20 a game this season.

So what's left? Both schools like 6'3" Detroit Renaissance junior Joe Crawford, the state's consensus number one prospect in the class of 2004. As good as Shannon Brown is, if you look with realistic expectations at what either Brown or Crawford will accomplish as college players there's not really a remarkable gap. Crawford could have a career similar to, say, Charlie Bell. Crawford and Bell are similar in that both use their bodies to power in from the perimeter and get off the shot. Crawford has more ups and could end up a better outside shooter whereas Charlie would seem to be the better rebounder and maybe defender.

Crawford's teammate at Renaissance, 6'5" Malik Hairston, is a top 50 junior nationally. Malik was MVP of the state 15-under AAU tournament two years in a row. When he did it in 2001 he was firstly a shooter, which set up some drives. In 2002 Malik did it inside and out, being particularly dangerous with those long arms on the offensive glass. He's more smooth than explosive. Don't be surprised if Hairston keeps growing, either.

There are two other legitimate Big 10-caliber talents in-state for 2004. Both play at Detroit Denby. 6'4" Darryl Garret has already committed to Xavier. 6'0" power point gaurd Rico Harris is rarely mentioned with in-state teams. Michigan State already has a point guard in that class -- Neitzel -- and Michigan is predicatably involved with 6'1 Jason Horton from Cedar Hill, Texas. His brother, McDonald's all-American Daniel, is penciled in as the Wolverines starting point this coming season.

In-state juniors Michigan should keep tabs on for the coming season are 5'11" Michael Redell from Rockford, 6'8" Al Horford from Grand Ledge, 6'5" Isaac Knight from Detroit Crockett, 6'7" Jamaal Lock from Detroit Redford and 6'9" Dan Waterstradt from Detroit Catholic Central. Redell was essentially the runner-up to Neitzel to play at MSU. Horford is a project but works hard and is atheltic. He outplayed Naymick head-to-head at the Spartan Shootout. Knight is like a smaller Marquise Gray. Lock knows how to play and has tremendous footwork but his impulsiveness often gets the better of what are actual basketball smarts. Waterstradt is basically just a defender and rebounder at this point, but he's as good as Walters, Visser or Chris Grimm (Marquette) at the same age. Heck, when I saw South Christian play last December Walters didn't even start, so don't give up on young big men. In that case, add 6'8" Lansing Everett junior Goran Sutton and 6'9" Saline junior Andrew Paolini to the list.

Looking at the state's sophomore class the best player is 6'2" Jarett Smith from Westland John Glenn. He led the Rockets to the WLAA championship last year, and didn't look like no ninth-grader out there. He's a lefty with the vision to make plays and the size to get things done in the lane. I can't imagine there are five better point guards his age in the country.

As good a player as Smith, if just shorter, is 5'9" Clyde McKinney from Lansing Everett. He's fast, powerful and tough. Other good point guards are 6'2" Arthur "Foo Foo" Wilson from Pontiac Nothern and 5'9" Andre Ricks from Detroit Pershing.

The best sophomore wings are 6'3" Jabari Currie, who put up nice numbers for Detroit Pershing as a freshman, and 6'3" Jalon Perryman from Detroit Rogers. Jalon has all the tools, he just needs to get tougher and finish scores better.

There is a lot of potential among the sophomore posts. 6'8", 300-pound Anthony Sparks is from Detroit Murray-Wright, but he's not the second coming of Robert Traylor. What he is: and outstanding left-handed shooter. 6'6" Jairocey Simpson from Detroit Henry Ford is a strong, tough kid who reminds me of Aloysius Anagonye. Then there's 6'6" Deon Ware from Detroit Finney, who is more athletic than either of the first two guys mentioned, 6'4" Cameron Bradfield from Grand Rapids Creston, by far the most accomplished post scorer in the class, and 6'5" Robert Jolley from Orchard Lake St. Mary's. Jolley is as tough as they come but is old for his class and may peak early.

6'5" athlete Marcus Davis from Northville will probably be a three in college. 6'6" Brandon Wolfe from Detroit Redford has the potential to be the best player on this list. He can shoot the ball but only plays hard inside in spurts.

At one time Ed "Boomer" Tucker, 6'1" from Saginaw Arthur Hill, was considred the top prospect in the class of 2005. But he didn't play as a freshman and if he is considered in the class of 2006 he's not the best prospect (he would no longer be in '05, either). In fact he might not even be considered the best freshman in Saginaw. That could be 5'9" John McKinney from Saginaw High. The two best freshman prospects will both play at Detroit King, 6'6" Tracy Smith, who has an attractive habit of scoring when you get him the ball, and 6'2" Romar Smith, a powerful slasher who will be doubly dangerous once he slows down a bit. The best freshman in West Michigan is 6'0" Cecil Brown from Grand Rapids. The best freshman in Flint is 6'1" Alex Hamo from Powers. The best freshman up North is 5'10" Tony Williams from Baldwin. The best freshman who used to live in Michigan is 6'7" Jeremy Henderson, now in Naptown.