College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 20-15; 10-10, Sixth in the Big Ten Conference, lost in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament

Head Coach: Tom Izzo (30th Year; 707-295 at Michigan State, with 26 NCAA Tournament appearances & one national championship)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG Jeremy Fears, Jr – 6’2″, 190 Freshman (redshirt)

G Jaden Akins – 6’4″, 195 Senior

F Frankie Fidler – 6’7″, 217 Senior

F Xavier Booker – 6’11”, 240 Sophomore

C Szymon Zapała – 7’0″, 245 Senior

Experienced Reserves

G Tre Holloman – 6’2″, 185 Junior

W Coen Carr – 6’5″, 225 Sophomore

F Jaxon Kohler – 6’9″, 245 Junior

C Carson Cooper – 6’11”, 245 Junior

Freshmen

G Jace Richardson – 6’3″, 185 / Consensus Top 50 recruit

G Kur Teng – 6’4″, 190 / Consensus Top 100 recruit

W Gehrig Normand – 6’5″, 190 (redshirt)

F Jesse McCulloch – 6’10”, 240

There are those who have posited lately that Tom Izzo is losing his touch. Such things have been said before of Michigan State’s iconic head coach. They may even be said again. While folks are sharing their opinions, Izzo will keep on winning games.

It’s true that the Spartans’ ceiling hasn’t been what it once was the past few years. It used to be that MSU was a likely Final Four contender just about every year, but the team has lost at least 13 games each of the past four years. It was hoped that with a trio of quality veterans to lead the way last winter, Sparty might have returned to their accustomed place on the NCAA Tournament’s third weekend. That wasn’t destined to be the case, though. From a season-opening loss to what turned out to be an outstanding James Madison team right the way through to MSU’s 15th loss at the hands of North Carolina in the Second Round of the Big Dance, it just wasn’t an impressive enough campaign for a program that’s used to being elite. Now, Michigan State will turn to a youth movement – and there are some things to be excited about.

Entering his third decade in charge of the Spartans, Izzo has seen an extraordinary amount of change in the sport. He’s not a freewheeling proponent of the transfer portal like some of his colleagues, and that topic has been hammered on for the past couple of years. Izzo’s ability to attract big-time freshman talent, though, is intact. To replace the team’s top three scorers from last year, MSU will turn largely to a young group of former star recruits who have been watching, learning, and participating in Sparty’s yearly NCAA Tournament appearances.

There’s one guy coming back who’s pretty close to a sure bet to emerge as this year’s new star. Though his rise hasn’t been meteoric, former Top 50 recruit Jaden Akins has been steadily growing into an impact player. He’s started 60 games over the past two seasons, averaging 10.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals on 38.7% shooting from downtown, but there were rumors this spring that Akins was considering a transfer in order to find a bigger share of the shots and spotlight. He’s back though, and though Izzo quipped about getting rid of his bright senior-to-be this fall, the veteran coach is pleased to have a guy like Akins to rely on going forward.

“I never wanna coach a guy who’s smarter than the head coach,” Izzo joked alongside Akins at Big Ten Media Days. “He’s done everything, you talk about work…this guy deserves to have a great year.” Akins is going to see a significant bump in usage this winter, and if he can maintain his solid career shooting splits over something closer to 15 shot attempts per contest than the nine or so he’s seen the past two years, Akins should emerge as a legit leading man. Though he has deferred to veteran stars in the past, this year it’s Akins who will be looked upon as a go-to guy by his young teammates. If he can continue playing a quality two-way game and show off the star potential that’s always seemed just beneath the surface of his game, Akins will take the mantle as leader of another contending team.

A pair of promising guards will look to keep the offense humming alongside Akins. Tre Holloman was the team’s 6th man last year, while Top 50 freshman Jeremy Fears, Jr, was off to a promising start before he narrowly avoided disaster in late December. Fears was shot in the leg while in the home of a friend during Michigan State’s holiday break lady year, which resulted in a surgical procedure that ended his freshman season. Since he only played in 12 games before being shot, Fears was granted a medical redshirt and will still have four years of eligibility.

“Life throws challenges at you, and you gotta overcome them,” Fears mused during last year’s NCAA Tournament as he watched from the sidelines. “Everybody has roadblocks. This is just something that I’m gonna get over, and it’s gonna make me a better person and a better player in the long run.” Prior to the screeching halt to his debut, Fears had shown tremendous instincts as a playmaker, and he’s the type of showman with the ball in his hands that can dazzle crowds and opposing defenses alike. Some players just have a sixth sense for knowing how to manufacture high-percentage scoring opportunities, and Fears has that ability. His jump shot isn’t yet a finished product, but Fears has focused on his range and tightening up his handle and decision-making this summer. His proclivity for making things happen in transition will be an asset as Sparty looks to find points wherever possible, and Izzo might just have to live with some redshirt-freshman mistakes because of the dynamism Fears offers.

As the first guard off of MSU’s bench, Holloman showed that he can score or distribute effectively, depending on who’s around him and which opportunities present themselves. He became one of the Spartans’ better outside shooters last year, and if Holloman can maintain his 42.5% rate from the land of trey on higher volume, he’ll pile up points quickly. He scored efficiently all over the place as a sophomore; Holloman even converted a fantastic 70.6% of his looks near the basket, per Bart Torvik. He can play a vertical game at both ends which belies his 6’2″ height, and Holloman is responsible about being in good position defensively. His 84:30 assist to turnover ratio was very strong as well, and the more time passes, the more it looks like Sparty might have a pair of aces to run the show.

There is certainly a touch of sarcasm in saying that Izzo made a foray into the portal this spring. Still, the fact is that he landed a very intriguing player in former Omaha star Frankie Fidler. A shooting forward who is becoming a three-level threat, Fidler averaged 20.1 points last season while still playing a smooth, unselfish game. He shines on pull-up jumpers and in isolation, and Fidler sank a strong 43.5% of his 170 mid-range attempts last year.

At 6’7″, Fidler sees the floor well and owns a 15.3% career assist rate. That’s made all the more impressive when you consider that the Mavericks averaged just 70.7 points across his three seasons and never really had true co-stars to run with Fidler. Speaking of him generating a lion’s share of Omaha’s offense, Fidler made nearly eight trips to the foul line a year ago and he’s an 85.9% career shooter there. If he can continue to grow as an outside shooter and prove ready to defend at a Big Ten level, Fidler should play a whole lot in East Lansing. He’s used to a steady workload, having averaged 36.0 minutes last winter, and Fidler should be able to function as a 4 when Izzo wants scoring or slide out to the wing in a bigger lineup.

There may be no more incendiary a dunk artist anywhere in the nation than Coen Carr.

There may be no more incendiary a dunk artist anywhere in the nation than Coen Carr. His explosive leaps and acrobatic hammer-drops have already become the stuff of internet legend – try searching him on YouTube if you don’t already know about it. Now, entering his sophomore year, the question is: exactly how good an all-around player is Carr going to become? He was fairly limited offensively as a rookie, and his slashes to the rim would become even more frightening if opponents knew that Carr would drill his free throws should they choose to interfere. With his boundless athleticism, Carr possesses fantastic defensive potential as well. He’s a threat to swat shots inside and out, will aggressively jump an errant pass, and can body up larger players and then elevate to disrupt their shot attempts. If Carr becomes assertive handling the ball and knocking down the occasional jumper, watch out.

Up front, there are quite a few questions but plenty of talented youngsters for Izzo to cycle through in search of an answer. Ideally, Xavier Booker will seize his chance to step forward as a featured scoring big as a sophomore. A 5-star recruit last fall, Booker stands 6’11”, can fly from one basket to the other, and has real potential as a shooter. He got pushed around on occasion as a rookie, and Booker was – as so many young big guys are – inconsistent from game to game. Greater strength and patience inside the arc would go a long way towards Booker reaching his promise, and he seems to have added a good bit of both this summer. He reportedly added more than 20 pounds of muscle to his frame over the offseason, and with his great reach and vertical leap, Booker could become a fearsome rim protector if he can start holding his own physically. At times he was too triple-happy as a freshman, but with his ability to step out and stick jumpers, Booker has some of the most in-demand skills a young post can offer.

Two juniors will also be looking to grow their profile in the frontcourt. Compared to Booker, Carson Cooper is more of a traditional post-up guy. Largely rotating with departed spot-starter Mady Sissoko at the 5 spot last year, Cooper ended up playing the most (17.0) minutes on average of anyone in the paint for MSU. His no-nonsense approach was welcome, especially to fans who felt that Booker wasn’t ready to see big-time minutes in Big games. Cooper understands positioning at both ends, sets great screens, and goes hard to the rack when he gets the ball in close. He also led the Spartans in blocked shots a year ago, and Cooper did so while committing fouls at a significantly lower rate than the veteran Sissoko. With just a bit more polish offensively, Cooper should be able to take a further step this winter.

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

41.3% – Opponent FG Percentage (40th)

50.4% – Team 2FG Percentage (208th)

10.0 – Turnovers Per Game (38th)

17.9 – 3FG Attempts Per Game (323rd)

36.3% – Team 3FG Percentage (51st)

Cooper’s classmate, Jaxon Kohler, was a ballyhooed 4-star recruit upon arrival in East Lansing two years ago, but his progress has been slow. A lingering didn’t help last season, and because of it, Kohler didn’t take the floor until the second week of January. Even after his return, Kohler didn’t seem like himself, and struggled to provide impact minutes. His teammates have spoken highly of his progress this summer, though, and with better health, he’ll have a chance to play an important scoring role off the bench. Kohler has a strong frame, soft hands, and shooting range of a real offensive weapon. If he can give MSU a different look as a mismatch option, he could rise quickly. This year’s experienced opener at the pivot may end up being Szymon Zapała. A transfer from Longwood, Zapała is coming off of by far the best season of his career. He didn’t play much across three years at Utah State, but became something of a force for the Lancers as they made a run to the NCAA Tournament back in March. The Polish pivot isn’t great at anything, but he’s an active defender who knows how to stuff a good pass and tip offensive rebounds towards his guys.

Three new freshmen and one who redshirted last year will look for a spot on the floor, also. The son of former Spartan and NBA star Jason Richardson, Jace Richardson is a consensus Top 50 scorer who sure seems like a chip off the ol’ block. He’s a good shooter who has plenty of athleticism plus the mindset to drive for points when defenders close out aggressively. Richardson is an unselfish guy despite his ability to fill it up as a scorer, and the more he develops his playmaking, the more valuable he’ll become. A quality defender who takes pride in getting stops, Richardson’s quick feet and fluidity make him a problem for opponents to deal with. He should be able to play alongside either Fears or Holloman right away, and Spartan fans are already dreaming of their combined potential in generating exciting scoring chances.

A larger, longer wing player, Kur Teng is a physical presence on the outside. He’s got the mindset to go through defenders just as often as around them, and his aggressiveness combined with athleticism are an exciting combination. He’s not as natural a shooter, but Teng’s deep jumper is getting there and he’s begun consistently hitting shorter jumpers around the elbow. There’s real potential for Teng to be an impact reserve who gives a different look when Akins needs a breather. There have already been some Matt McQuaid comparisons made about Gehrig Normand, who took a developmental redshirt last year. He’s a shooter first and foremost – and a good one. Normand has an easy motion and gets to shot quickly on the outside, and he’s a good athlete with the length and vertical to drive hard or chase down lobs when everyone expects him to shoot. He’s been limited by a knee injury this fall but hopes to debut before the new year. Jesse McCulloch may take his turn redshirting this winter, but he’s a well-built 6’10” guy with inside-out scoring potential.

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

N Kansas – November 12

N UConn/Memphis – November 26

Maui Invitational third game – November 27

vs Samford – November 19

vs Florida Atlantic – December 21

Though this is an inexperienced team relative to normal standards, the usual murderers row of non-conference games Izzo has lined up will be quite a challenge. If the new stars can measure up quickly, though, it will confirm this team’s high ceiling. A trip to the Maui Invitational has been a springboard for Spartan teams of the past, and should serve as a key in the run-up to B1G play.

Despite their comparative struggles last year, the Spartans finished ninth in the country in defensive efficiency, per Ken Pomeroy. Defense and rebounding have always been the bedrock of Izzo’s teams, and this group has guys who will cause problems defensively soon enough. This may not be an obvious preseason Final Four contender, but Izzo will get to mold his squad and gauge its development towards the usual goals. With an intriguing young core that will get its chance to shine, Michigan State looks very much like it’s building towards the next big thing.