Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo has a long track record of success with point guards over his legendary career at Michigan State.
He found his next one in New England.
Antonio Pemberton – the top-ranked Class of 2027 recruit in New England – has committed to Izzo and Michigan State, he announced Friday afternoon in a ceremony at the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club. Pemberton, a Methuen, Mass., native and star for Mass Rivals and the new Masters Academy International, chose the Spartans after making his official visit last weekend, picking them over a group of finalists that included Kansas and Tennessee.
Friday’s announcement cemented a meteoric rise for Pemberton, a 6-foot-1 guard who emerged on high-major radars last summer before becoming a universal top-30 nationally-ranked recruit with an incredible spring and summer with the Mass Rivals, who he led to the 17U Adidas 3SSB circuit championship game in July.
“I think the best part about him is he’s been a gym rat for five years and he’s worked on his skillset,” said Mass Rivals director Vin Pastore, who has coached Pemberton since he was in middle school. “His skillset is elite on an elite scale. He’s turned himself into a true point guard who can really score the ball from that position. A lot of times, kids are point guards but they really can’t score it, and a lot of times, kids are scoring guards but they really can’t play the point. He’s a true point guard who can score the ball at a high clip. His work ethic is what has separated him over the last five years.”
At Michigan State, Pemberton will reunite with former AAU and prep school teammate Kur Teng (assuming he will still be at MSU in 2027-28), who’s going to his junior season with the Spartans. Pemberton was in eighth grade playing up on the Rivals’ 17U team when Teng was a junior, and they were teammates at Bradford Christian Academy – also coached by Pastore – when they won the NEPSAC Class AA championship in 2024.
Then, Pemberton was, of course, still developing, But Pastore emphasized that even at such a young age, Pemberton was able to carve out an important role on a loaded BCA team that also included Division 1 recruits Teng, Warren Keel and George Turkson. That same mentality has carried Pemberton through the years of playing with and against older, more experienced players.
“He embraced playing up in age, he embraced physicality and he’s been doing that at Bradford Christian and through his grassroots career with me,” Pastore said. “He’s played up and up and up. The end result of this is that he was prepared for this last year and a half. …
“He was just a little kid battling and fighting for minutes. But he always thought he belonged, he always thought he was better than everybody. He had a way about him.”
Pemberton was a standout for coach Jason Smith at Brewster Academy the last two scholastic seasons before putting together one of the best individual grassroots seasons in the country this past spring and summer with Rivals. For the season, the guard averaged 19.8 points and 3.3 assists per game, including an unforgettable run at the Adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships, where he averaged 26.2 points and 3.8 assists per game en route to a runner-up finish. That included an epic buzzer-beater to beat Compton Magic in the tournament.
“He was the best player on the Adidas circuit this summer,” Pastore said.
Pastore said it was this spring and summer that Izzo and Michigan State ramped up their efforts to recruit Pemberton. Izzo was in attendance for Pemberton’s games in Bryan, Texas, and Rock Hill, S.C., throughout his July run.
In Izzo, Pastore sees a good fit for Pemberton.
“He embraces hard coaching and he’s going to a similar type of guy (in Izzo),” Pastore said. “There’s a fit there for how Tone’s been coached. …
“He’s a Hall of Fame coach, but many would consider him the best coach in college basketball. He has a long history of success with point guards. They have an incredible schedule that’s off the charts of who they play in the nonleague. Antonio likes to play on center stage.”
Pastore believes Pemberton will make an impact on Day 1 at Michigan State.
“I believe he’s prepared to play in college today,” Pastore said. “I think his game translates in every way. He’s physical, he has a great body that’s ready for college. His skill level translates to every level. Those jump shots he makes and how he gets to his spot, those translate all the way to the NBA level. He’s an elite shooter. He’s got the physicality and toughness. He’s going to play right away at Michigan State. If he didn’t believe that, he wouldn’t be going to Michigan State. …
“He’s very confident. He’s one of those kids that has an abundance of confidence, but he’s not arrogant at all. … He’s been fun to coach because when you have kids who love basketball and have great work ethic and a whole bunch of talent, it just makes for a wonderful journey for everybody.”
