Four-star PG finds a home at Michigan State

THE LIST: Class of 2014 Rivals150

Growing up, Lourawls Nairn didn't always dream of becoming a highly recruited basketball player. However, at around the age of 13 the four-star point guard from Nassau,Bahamas, got serious about basketball and talked his mother Monalisa McKinney into letting him leave for the United States to pursue his dreams of playing big-time basketball. Thursday morning, he took the next step in pursuit of his dreams by committing to Michigan State.

A 5-foot-11 point guard who is the No. 61 prospect in the class of 2014, Nairn landed in Miami when he made his way to the U.S. After a few years there, he returned home for a bit before heading to at Bel Aire (Kan.) Sunrise Christian, where his game blossomed.

On the day he made his college choice, Nairn couldn't help but be a little overwhelmed at how well things have worked out.

"This is very emotional for me," Nairn told Rivals.com. "A lot of guys where I am from would die to be in the position that I'm in.

"It's really starting to hit me now that it's about to happen. Every since I was 13, it came to me that I want to win a Final Four, go to a top-level school, Division I school, and play in the NBA one day."

In Tom Izzo and the Spartans, Nairn -- who is known to his friends and coaches by his nickname, Tum Tum -- has found a program that feels like home to him. The Spartans didn't actually get fully involved in his recruitment until a bit later in the process; but once Nairn visited East Lansing two weekends ago, he knew that it was the place for him.

"I took all of my visits, but when I went there two weeks ago I felt like I was home," said Nairn. "Everywhere I went, the players or somebody was wrapping their arms around me and saying, 'Tum, let's go here or there,' and I could tell it was genuine. I can tell when people are being fake, and it was real.

"I know they are in need of a point guard, but it is more than that. They embraced me, and I knew it wasn't fake and it wasn't a put on."

Probably the fastest player in the class of 2014 with the ball in his hands, Nairn is a pit bull of a point guard. At Sunrise, and while playing with MoKan Elite in Nike's EYBL, he has shown that he can dictate tempo and defend aggressively, and he's proven to be a confident leader. No matter how things are going, he knows that he can always count on two things.

"My toughness and my leadership ability," said Nairn when asked his most dependable traits. "That's what I'm going to bring every day. No matter what's going on outside the court, I know tomorrow isn't promised, so I'm going to bring that and work every day."

With his college choice out of the way, Nairn is looking forward to a big senior season. He knows that there is still work to do if he wants to keep delivering on those promises he made to his mother before leaving his home, but he's also thankful to be where he is.

"It's so humbling and crazy to me," said Nairn. "I know where I'm from, and I know the work I've put in to make it and how hard it is to make it out of where I'm from. I'm really just blessed by the whole experience."

Eric Bossi is the national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.

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