What's been long rumored is now fact.

MSU and Tom Izzo announced Tuesday night that they've parted ways with talented-yet-undermotivated guard Chris Allen.

"It's been no secret that Chris Allen's been in a tenuous position since the spring. There were multiple obligations that Chris had to meet in order to return for his senior season," Izzo said in a press release. "While he did make progress through the summer, he has failed to meet all the obligations and will not be a part of our program this fall."

The Georgia native started 32 games in his three-year Spartan career, including 27 a year ago, when he averaged 8.2 points per game, and was MSU's best 3-point option. With one year of eligibility remaining, it's probable that Allen will transfer to another Division I school, sit out a season, then finish his eligibility.

That's exactly what Izzo's release suggested.

"I know he's going to be a great player. He deserves another chance to play basketball somewhere, but it's in everyone's interest that it be somewhere other than Michigan State," the coach's statement said. "Like every player, he has to mature a little bit. I think a year away from the game will be beneficial for his development as a person and a player."

Allen was part of the uber-talented backcourt with roommates Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers, but drew Izzo's ire (and a suspension) on the eve of this spring's Big Ten Tournament. All three had their run-ins with Izzo, but Allen's status remained the haziest, even as he tried to repair the relationship with his coach and teammates this summer.

It's unclear what the last straw was, but the player didn't seem to blame anyone but himself.

"Coach was straight-forward with me about what I needed to do to remain a part of the team," Allen said in the same press release. "Unfortunately, I didn't meet all the obligations. I have enjoyed my time at Michigan State and I appreciate all the support from my fans, and everyone associated with the program. It's unfortunate things didn't work out, but I'm leaving on good terms with my teammates and coaches."

Dwaun Anderson got to live his dream when the junior guided Suttons Bay to the Class C finals at Breslin Center in March.


"I knew as we got further into the tournament, I was going to have to step my game up," Anderson told the Traverse City Record Eagle after a 30-point, 13-rebound performance in a quarterfinal win over Rudyard. "I just tried to turn it on. It's been my goal (to play at the Breslin Center) since I was young and first started watching high school basketball."


Now, Anderson has figured out a way to be able to play at Breslin Center a lot more, as the high-flying, 6-foot-3 shooting guard committed to the Spartans on Wednesday, giving MSU a pair of top-rated shooting guards in the 2011 class. Detroit Southeastern's four-star guard, Brandan Kearney, has been committed since November.


Anderson averaged 20.6 points and 10.7 rebounds in the final three games of the spring for the Norse, which culminated in a 59-43 loss to Melvindale ABT in the Class C championship game.

With a little less than a week left until the majority of senior prep football stars make their college choice permanent (or at least more binding than a verbal thumbs-up), the flip-flopping has begun in earnest.

Central Michigan continues to hemorrhage recruits, as players who'd earlier committed to head coach Butch Jones are switching their allegiance to Jones' new employer, Cincinnati. A local product — three-star WR prospect Montrel Robinson of Southfield-Lathrup — followed the Chippewas' top recruit, Montague QB Cody Kater, down I-75 to southern Ohio, switching their commitments to the Bearcats. CMU did add a verbal commit, getting the nod from 6-foot-6, 280-pound sleeper OT Leterrious Walton of Clinton Township Clintondale before he visits campus this weekend.

At Michigan, an apparent lack of communication with coaches led Dallas Skyline speedster Tony Drake to switch his commitment from U-M to Colorado State. A running back in high school, the 5-foot-9, 176-pounder would have likely been a slot receiver with the Wolverines, in the mold of Kelvin Grady — who has, incidentally, returned to the hardwood as practice player for John Beilein's team. Grady left the basketball team after last season, and prepared to transfer, before deciding to switch sports.

Grady isn't the only two-sport star making an appearance in the Big Ten gyms lately. After finishing his freshman season with an appearance in the Alamo Bowl, Michigan State tight end Dion Sims has begun to suit up for Tom Izzo's No. 5-ranked MSU basketball team. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Sims, who finished fourth in the Mr. Basketball voting last winter, has appeared in just one game since the start of the semester, playing one minute in a 10-point home win over Illinois, but hasn't seen the floor in the last three games, all close games to the end.

Not all the stories are so rosy in East Lansing, as the fallout continues from the season-ending brawl that initially led to the suspension of 13 players, the eventual dismissal of two, and the transfer of two more. A pair of players have been added to list of those charged — bringing the total to 15. Defensive tackle Oren Wilson and receiver Myles White both face charges of assault, brought earlier this week. Both players were immediately suspended by the program. Unlike those players charged initially, Wilson played in the Alamo Bowl, but White had already been suspended for the game for a separate incident.