We know Tom Izzo can recruit, but damn

In the span of 12 days, Tom Izzo has put together the foundation for a star-studded recruiting class. In 2011. And 2012.

Its incredible, really. In the last 12 days, Izzo has received commitments from five different recruits. At this rate, he will be able to take the next two summers off. A quick rundown of the guys he's landed (h/t Mike Miller):

• Kenny Kaminski (committed July 31) is a 6-7, 180-pound wing from Ohio who's a 2012 prospect.
• Branden Dawson (Aug. 4), is a five-star, 6-6, 200-pound small forward. He's the prize of MSU's 2011 class.
• Travis Trice (Aug. 4), a 5-11, 160-pound guard who'll provide depth I the 2011 group.
• Denzel Valentine (Aug. 9) the 6-5, 205-pound Lansing product is a 2012 prospect who'll probably be rated as a four-star prospect.
• Matt Costello (Aug. 10), a 6-8, 210-pound forward who's described as scrappy and a good passing big man. He's also a 2012 prospect.

Now, keep in mind that Izzo already has gotten commitments from Dwuan Anderson (a four-star SG) and Brandon Kearney (a three-star SG) in the class of 2011, and his recruiting haul this year is far from shabby. A four man class, it is headlined by top 20 center Adriean Payne and top 50 guard Keith Appling.

So as you can see, Sparty can rest easy that they will, at the very least, have a significant amount of talent on their roster for the foreseeable future.

Why?

Izzo isn't a coach that has to rely on talent to win. Sure, having all-americans and future pros on the roster doesn't hurt, but Izzo, at his core, is a system-coach -- tough defense, aggressive rebounding, transition buckets -- that may very well be the best game-planner in the business. Talent and potential are important, but this is a program that values the blue-collar, hard-worker just as much as the primadonna, potential lottery pick.

Want evidence?

Michigan State has made consecutive Final Fours. In 2009, they beat two of the Big East's best, who have thus far produced six pros and three lottery picks, en route to a title game loss at the hands of North Carolina. Last season, they lost their star point guard and still managed to miss a second consecutive title game by a whopping two points in a loss to Butler.

They did all that without the help of a single, surefire NBA player. Kalin Lucas and Durrell Summers have a shot of sneaking into the first round with a great season, but John Wall and Eric Bledsoe, they are not.

This isn't a John Calipari class, however. Payne has some NBA potential. So does Dawson. But beyond that, these next few recruiting classes are simply guys that Izzo likes, that he believes will fit into his system.

Big Ten, you've been warned.