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Mr. Basketball: Michigan State commit Foster Loyer bringing swagger back to Breslin Center

Describe what Mr. Basketball should look like, and it won't be Loyer. The roster says he is 6-foot, 170-pounds. That appears to be a stretch.

At first glance, Foster Loyer looks more like a ball-boy than a Mr. Basketball.

His boyish looks, slender build and short stature don’t quite equate to being the “killer” on the court that his teammate, Thomas Kithier, says he is.

His eager smile and laid back attitude raise the question: “This kid is going to Michigan State? Does he know who coaches there?”

Thirty-eight times the Hal Schram Trophy has been handed out to the best high school player in the state of Michigan. Names like Chris Webber, Shane Battier and Earvin “Magic” Johnson have earned the honor.

Monday afternoon in Detroit, it was Loyer’s turn.

Describe what Mr. Basketball should look like, and it won't be Loyer. The roster says he is 6-foot, 170-pounds. That appears to be a stretch. Sitting on a long table next to the podium where he gave his acceptance speech, the trophy was nearly as tall as he was.

When it comes to pure skill and the cerebral aspect of the game, he could be one of the best to ever have his name engraved on this trophy.

Wearing a black suit jacket and a striped tie, Loyer called his latest accolade “surreal.” He knows the history behind this trophy. He is aware of past winners and what they have gone on to do throughout their careers on the hardwood.

“After my freshman year, I looked back on it and realized where I could progress to and, if I kept getting better, what I could become,” Loyer told friends, family and media gathered at the Detroit Free Press offices. “That’s when I thought it became real realistic.”

Loyer tallied 3,691 points in the Mr. Basketball voting, nearly a 1,000 more than runner-up Brandon Johns from East Lansing High School. The four-star recruit garnered twice as many first-place votes as any of the other five finalists.

(Photo: Romain Blanquart, Romain Blanquart, Detroit Free Press)

This honor is no accident.

It has been earned through hours of extra work at the upper gym inside Clarkston High School. Dan Fife, who has coached the Wolves for the past 36 years, said no one puts in more work than Loyer.

And Loyer’s resume speaks to the results.

During his senior season, the MSU commit has averaged 27 points per game, including seven assists, three steals and four boards while leading the Wolves to a 24-1 record and a date with Warren De La Salle on Friday afternoon in the Class A state semifinals inside Breslin Center.

Clarkston is looking for its second straight state championship. Loyer willed the Wolves there last year. He has them in position to do it again. As Loyer goes, Clarkston goes.

His recipe for success isn’t a difficult one.

“What’s nice is it just goes to show what hard work does,” said Fife, who sports a 93-6 record since Loyer got to high school. “He shoots every day. He has a routine, and he never misses. That’s just who he is. It isn’t rocket science what he does — he just works.”

Loyer has had basketball in his DNA from birth.

His father, John Loyer, served as an assistant coach in the NBA for decades and is still involved in the game, scouting for the Los Angeles Clippers. The Loyers moved around a lot when Foster was growing up — Portland, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Detroit — but there was one constant no matter where the family set up shop: a basketball hoop.

Loyer laughed when discussing his love of the game. Before he could walk, he had a basketball in his hands, he said. There were times when the U-Haul would be in the driveway with Loyer close by, shooting hoops.

There is no shying away from the privilege of having an NBA coach as a father, either. When Loyer was 7 years old, he used to watch as Allen Iverson’s mother braided his hair before games in the Philadelphia locker room. Loyer used to shadow box the 11-time All-Star as part of his pregame ritual.

Class A boys hoops: Foster Loyer leads Clarkston to state title game

“Just being in the gym all the time was awesome,” he smiled. “Guys that are celebrities, I know some on a first-name basis. It’s been really special being able to watch guys my dad has coached and try to emulate them and work out with them. It’s a thrill.”

Loyer will be the first to say that he will never have the speed and skills of Iverson, but if you ask his teammates and coach, he doesn’t need to. He just needs to be Foster Loyer.

“He is a great teammate, a great leader and a great shooter,” said Kithier, who will also attend MSU next year as part of the Spartans’ 2018 signing class. “Foster is just a great guy in general. That’s just a guy you want to be friends with and a guy you want on your team.

“He is one of the hardest competitors you will ever meet.”

Fife raved that the way Loyer goes about his business is one of his greatest attributes. He called him a great player and an even better person.

“With all the publicity this kid has had, you would never even know he was in our school,” Fife said of the four-year first-team all-state selection. “He is just under the radar. He doesn’t run his mouth, he just keeps his mouth shut. He’s a good kid.”

Joel Bissell/AP Clarkston's Foster Loyer shoots over Grand Rapids Christian's Thad Shymanski, left, and Tre Vallar during the Class A boys high school basketball championship at the Breslin Center on Saturday, March 25, 2017. (Photo: Joel Bissell, Joel Bissell, AP)

Loyer may not have all the physical attributes of a budding college star, but he has the necessary confidence and swagger. That was never more evident than in early February when he was kicked back in an office chair in the Spartans’ locker room after a win over No. 3 Purdue.

Class A: Foster Loyer (MSU) guides Dan Fife, Clarkston to first title

He was taking in the experience of a jubilant Big Ten win.

And he wasn’t out of place.

In fact, Loyer said he will watch MSU games and text guys after. Sometimes it’s to say congrats, others, it’s to give pointers.

Wait, what?

“I am always open to that, because I want to be a better player,” MSU junior guard Matt McQuaid said. “I don’t really care who it is, I am always open to criticism to become a better player.”

McQuaid said he treats Loyer like one of his teammates because he essentially is. In May, Loyer will be on campus and go through offseason conditioning. McQuaid added that, when he was first coming to East Lansing, guys like Denzel Valentine took him under their wing. He is just carrying on that tradition.

“This place is like a family,” McQuaid said. “So, I told him he can text or call me whenever he wants. I text him sometimes, too, to ask how he’s doing and check up on him. They are like little brothers.”

Cassius Winston agrees, adding that any way to add early team continuity is a good thing.

“We want to get off to the fastest start possible,” MSU’s sophomore point guard said. “As much information as I can teach him, the little tricks I can teach him, that’s just helping them be ready when they come in. It just helps their career a little bit faster.”

Winston calls Loyer a “heck of a player.” McQuaid warned, “don’t let his size fool you.”

When MSU coach Tom Izzo stepped to the podium inside Breslin Center in early November to discuss his recruiting class, he compared Loyer to Spartan greats Drew Neitzel and Winston. For now, the one thing he has in common with those two is the title of Mr. Basketball. He hopes the rest will come soon.

(Photo: Julian H. Gonzalez, Detroit Free Press)

In March of last year, Loyer said, he let himself dream a little bit. He looked up into the rafters of Breslin Center. He studied the court. He embraced the walk to the locker room. He was busy winning a state title, but he was also thinking about his future in this building.

Loyer isn’t worried about doubters or looking like the prototypical basketball star. He is worried about winning.

So far, so good.

“Life would be a little bit easier if I was 6-foot-8,” Loyer told the Free Press, “but I’m all right with where I’m at and we’ll go from there.”

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.

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