Former Longwood, Utah State center Szymon Zapala transfers to Michigan State basketball

Szymon SZN is coming to East Lansing.

Tom Izzo finally landed a big man from the transfer portal, with Michigan State basketball getting a commitment from 7-footer Szymon Zapala on Tuesday. It is the center’s final year of eligibility, available with the COVID waiver for his freshman season in 2020-21.

That gives the Spartans some depth and experience to help offset the loss of Mady Sissoko, who entered the portal and transferred to California for his final year of eligibility on April 29. It also addresses an area of need MSU fans have been critical about Izzo’s handling of the position going into last season.

A native of Zaborze, Poland, Zapala began his career in 2020-21 at Utah State and played in 45 games there over three seasons, averaging 1.2 points and 1.3 rebounds over 4.6 minutes.

Last season, he transferred to Longwood and blossomed as a scorer, rebounder and defender. The 240-pound Zapala averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game, shooting 62.9% from the field and 65.5% at the free-throw line while blocking 29 shots. He started 23 of his 35 games, debuting with a 20-point, 11-rebound performance at St. Bonaventure, among his four double-doubles on the season. Zapala scored in double figures 16 times and had double-digit rebounds in five contests, flashing the ability to score on the block and occasionally run the floor in transition.

At center, MSU returns 6-9 Jaxon Kohler and 6-11 Carson Cooper for their junior seasons. Highly touted big man Xavier Booker will be back as a sophomore, and the 6-11 former McDonald’s All-American will likely be used to stretch defenses from the forward position. The Spartans also have 6-10 freshman Jesse McCulloch arriving in the summer, giving Izzo a much bigger and deeper front line than he has had the past two seasons.

Longwood’s Szymon Zapala (12) tries to stop the ball from bouncing out of bounds during the first round game between University of Houston and Longwood University in the 2024 NCAA Tournament…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/former-longwood-utah-state-center-181517072.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-05-14 18:15:17

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