Just how popular has Oakland University junior point guard Kahlil Felder become? Well, when NBA players like Isaiah Thomas of the Boston Celtics, "The Answer", Allen Iverson, and even ESPN personality, Stephen A. Smith, are singing your praise, you have made it. Felder and his Oakland teammates almost pulled off the unthinkable against the No.1 team in the nation, Michigan State, but fell to the Spartans in overtime, 99-93, on Wednesday night. Still, Felder was spectacular, even in defeat, with a game-high 37 points and nine assists.

Kahlil Felder got GAME— Isaiah Thomas (@Isaiah_Thomas) December 23, 2015

With his big performance against MSU, after dropping 38 on Washington just three days prior, Felder is currently second in the nation in scoring at 26.9 points a game, and first in assists, with 8.9 dimes. Against Power Five teams this season, he is only averaging 32.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. So why is a talent like Felder only playing at a mid-major like Oakland, after having a stellar career at one of the top public school programs in the country, Detroit Pershing?

It is simple. He is 5-foot-9. ESPN had him ranked as a two-star recruit, and the No.9 best player in the state in 2013. No other scouting service had him ranked.

"Basically, a lot of people were scared of him because of his size," Felder's former head coach at Pershing, Wydell Henry, said. "We did a situation with Kay (Felder) where we weren't letting him score. The way he's scoring now, he's always had that ability, but we just told him that he had to be more of a pass-first point guard, and score second. But, a lot of people questioned his size and athleticism."

No one is questioning Felder's ability now, but in 2013 when he came out of Pershing, high-major schools were not really high on him. In fact, Iowa State was his biggest interested school, but an offer never came, as they took Flint Beecher's, Monte Morris, instead, who has turned out to be a good player for them. But not nearly as good as Felder. The two went head-to-head in January of 2013, with Felder bringing his team back from an 18-point deficit for the win, while pouring in 32 points. The class of 2013 in Michigan was a special one, with current Boston Celtic, James Young (Kentucky) headlining the class. The top point guard in the class was Derrick Walton, who now starts for Michigan. Felder beat him too that season, at the Motor City Roundball Classic at Detroit Country Day, finishing with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Wes Clark and E.C. Matthews were both highly ranked out of Romulus that season, and are currently at Missouri and Rhode Island, respectively. You guessed it. Felder beat those guys as well. The two teams met twice that season, with Pershing taking the first game, then falling to Romulus in the state playoffs later that season. Felder still had 28 and six, in the end.

Felder is a problem from Oakland— Allen Iverson (@alleniverson) December 23, 2015

Felder proved his worth against guys that were ranked above him, and headed to high-major schools, often outplaying them all. He finished fourth in Mr. Basketball voting in 2013, but last when it came to high-major knocking down his mother's door for his services, although he had already committed to Oakland just before his senior season.

"Akron, Southern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Oakland, and majority of the MAC (Mid-American Conference) schools were his only offers," Henry said. "The Southern Illinois offer might have been his biggest one, along with another offer from an Atlantic-10 school. He never really had any conversations with Michigan State or Michigan, as once again, most of those schools like that questioned his size."

In today's day and age of high school basketball recruiting, a lot of players get caught of in going Division I, or playing for a popular coach, or a certain brand, instead of going to the school that fits them best on and off the court. Not Felder and his camp. The type of person he is, he did not let the politics of recruiting affect him, even if it was effecting him. Felder knew that he could play with the best of them, and needed to find the right program that would overlook his size, or lack thereof, and allow him to showcase his talents.

"He just wanted to go somewhere, where he could just play," Henry said. "He never really got into what level he would go to, and he was never really down when he was getting recruited. He was more so, 'look, let's get this over with. I want to make the best decision for me.'"

Oakland head coach, Greg Kampe, and assistant, Saddi Washington, both came after Felder hard. Henry thought Felder would have ended up at Akron, or at Eastern Michigan, where his father, Kahlil Sr., played, after having himself a great career at Pershing too. But Oakland was able to land their guy, and it has paid off for both sides. Felder's mother, Tiffany Williams, was also happy with his choice, and played a large part in his recruitment, as most parents should, especially nowadays.

"His recruitment was overwhelming, due to the calls and emails," she laughed. "But, I learned a lot in the process, about a lot of schools and coaches. I would do research on each school and their coaches. A lot of coaches that called were dishonest. To get rid of them, I would ask them what's his overall GPA. If they couldn't answer the question, I would ask them to get back with me once they found out. That's how I would get rid of the ones that only wanted him for basketball. I'm huge on academics. That was one of my reasons for Kay going to Oakland.

"I liked Oakland academically, it was close to home, so we never had to miss a home game, and Kampe's stability."

Felder has proved all the doubters wrong, and now has the schools that passed on him out of high school regretting their mistake. Easy to say now, but there is no question that Felder is a better option than whoever Michigan State and Michigan both have on their rosters. But all things happen for a reason. He has carved a great career out of his time at Oakland, and is not nearly done yet. He named Horizon League Freshmen of the Year for the 2013-2014 season, posting the program's first triple-double that season. As a sophomore, Felder was finalist for the mid-major player of the year award, and was a Mid-Major All-American, averaging 18.9 points and 7.4 assists. This season, he has turned it up a couple of notches, and I am not sure if Felder is the best college player in America, but his numbers surely back that up. Felder has taken the NCAA by storm, but for those that knew him when he dawned the blue and yellow at Pershing, or played his AAU ball for the R.E.A.C.H. Legends, it comes as no surprise.

"The kid is a true competitor and winner," Henry added. "He just wants to win, and that's what I love about him. Yes, he's scoring 30 and 40, but he wants to get wins, and that's what makes you feel good about having coached him. All he cares about is winning.

"I'm not surprised at all on how he's doing. He's in a system where they allow him to get loose, and have some fun. I saw it for four years at Pershing. As a freshman, he came in scoring, and Coach Canada (former Pershing coach) used to tell him to slow down, because we had Keith Appling. Kay was a freshman, and Keith was a senior. But from that day forward, he played AAU with him every summer, and for the three years that we traveled around the AAU circuit, we destroyed teams, and other guards. People just really questioned if he could do it on a consistent basis. You really have to thank Kampe for the way he's letting him (Felder) play."

A message to this kid Felder from Oakland: I watched you vs. Michigan St. Tonight. You are special kid!!! Keep putting in that work!— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) December 23, 2015

Of course, with Felder on the recent tear that he is on, his name has begun to be associated with the NBA. Whether or not he decides to stay at Oakland for his senior year, or enters the draft remains to be seen. Felder certainly has the skill set, but of course, he will get the same treatment as he got at Pershing, regarding his height. The league frowns upon guys in the 6-foot and under club, but there have been a handful of guys who have knocked down the barrier, like a Thomas, or a Nate Robinson, who are both 5-foot-9 as well. He has proven people wrong before. Why not twice?

"I've seen so many come out of the city that we said were pros, or could be pros," said Henry. "I do think that he has the ability to be a pro, but I think a lot of that depends on, if he comes out this year as a junior or next year, on how the draft is looking. There are a lot of politics. It definitely doesn't always have to do with how good of a basketball player you are. There have to be some other things lining up. But I believe he's good spirited, and has a good heart. I think he can be a pro."