Summer school for Tom Izzo, Michigan State basketball: Develop cohesion, prepare for Spain

Tom Izzo dispelled the erroneous notion that he won’t use the transfer portal. Twice over.

The next steps, now that the roster looks set for Michigan State basketball heading into the summer, is for Izzo to fit the pieces together, and for the players returning to figure out their new roles.

The Spartans will look much different when they take the court in November than they did in March, when their 20-15 season came to an end at the hands of top-seeded North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Top contributors Tyson Walker and Malik Hall graduated, starting point guard A.J. Hoggard announced he is heading to Vanderbilt and one-time starting big man Mady Sissoko transferred to California.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo talks to forward Coen Carr (55) during the second half of the NCAA tournament West Region second round against North Carolina at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

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That leaves Izzo looking for star power to return his program to the NCAAs for a 27th straight year — and, hopefully, last longer in March Madness than the departing group was able to achieve the past three years. And it makes the next three months, before the Spartans travel to Spain in mid-August, critical to laying the groundwork for a schedule that jumps off in November with a big-time matchup vs. Kansas at the Champions Classic in Atlanta and MSU’s first trip to the Maui Classic since 2019, followed by a 20-game Big Ten slate that includes trips to UCLA and USC and visits from Oregon and Washington.

Here is a checklist of work to be done for Izzo and his players this summer, before their 10-day trip to Spain from Aug. 13-22:

1. Get to the point

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo talks to guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) during the first half against Southern Indiana at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023.

BACK ON THE COURT: Michigan…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/summer-school-tom-izzo-michigan-100441904.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-05-19 10:04:41

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