3&Out: Three takeaways from Michigan State's hiring of Robyn Fralick

SpartanMag’s Ricardo Cooney has covered more Michigan State women’s basketball games than anyone in history. Below are Cooney’s three takeaways from Robyn Fralick’s hiring at Michigan State and the first days of her tenure:

TAKE ONE: There is no doubt that the hiring of Robyn Fralick as Michigan State’s sixth women’s basketball coach has the look of being a very good one. She is intense, focused and detailed.

Her success prior to her arrival at Michigan State speaks volumes about her ability to transform struggling programs into successful ones.

After guiding Division II Ashland (Ohio) University to a National Championship, a National Championship runner-up finish, and an amazing 104-3 record at that level, she transformed a 9-21 Bowling Green program in 2018 to a 31-7 finish this past season.

That gives her the credibility needed to be named the Spartans’ head coach and to be trusted to take Michigan State to higher levels behind a reported $900,000 annual salary.

The fact that the University of Pittsburgh pursued Fralick heavily for its coaching opening speaks volumes about her value, and drove up the price.

With that being said, none of this will work unless she gets the recruits and is not dependent on the transfer portal to try to maintain success.

She was 88-73 at BGSU over five seasons but can’t take that much time to make the Spartans a consistent NCAA program and more than just a WNIT program.

And for those questioning Michigan State for bringing in another mid-major and MAC coach, consider this: Suzy Merchant came to MSU 16 seasons ago with a 147-91 record at Eastern Michigan and one NCAA Tournament bid. During her tenure in East Lansing, the Spartans won two Big Ten titles and went to the NCAA Tournament 10 times.

TAKE TWO: With all of those things being said, Fralick has her work cut out for her in order to make sure she keeps a competitive-now roster.

Three players – Matilda Ekh, Taiyier Parks and Brooklyn Rewers – all chose to hit the transfer portal after Merchant’s departure.

At this point, Fralick can not afford to lose any more members of the current roster that were keys to the success Michigan State had last season in finishing with 16 wins.

As a matter of fact, if she could somehow convince Ekh to step out of the transfer portal and stay, that would be a huge boost for the near future.

While Rewers was just a reserve who provided 2.2 points and 5.4 minutes a game, losing both Ekh and Parks hurts in terms of production.

Ekh, a sophomore, averaged 11.8 points and was MSU’s second-leading scorer.

Parks also ended up being one of the Spartans’ key contributors at 8.3 points and 5.2 per rebounds game.

As it stands, the Spartans, with the return of junior guard Gabby Elliott from a season-ending knee injury, will have three of its top six scorers returning next season. 

It also means there can be no more attrition in terms of departures.

Of course, adding some value out of the transfer portal may be necessary for Fralick in her first season in East Lansing

TAKE THREE: Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting.

Fralick’s local ties, as a graduate of Okemos High School, means there should not be a problem identifying and attracting the best local and in-state talent, not to mention the Midwest. Just like her predecessors Joanne P. McCallie and Suzy Merchant, Fralick has a dual role in the immediate future; meeting and keeping the best players on the team – nurturing the nucleus of the program – and scouring the region for high end future recruits.

“I think that piece is really important. There’s so much good basketball in the Midwest,” Fralick said during her introductory speech. “And a lot of kids also grow, marveling and loving and watching Michigan State. So making that connection will be really important.” 

She has moved from a mid-major to a major player in the Big Ten conference and the stakes are high in terms of acquiring talent and competing in one of the best women’s basketball conferences in the nation. 

If done correctly, there is no reason why Fralick can’t enjoy the same success Big Ten coaches such as Indiana’s Teri Moren, Iowa’s Lisa Bluder and Michigan’s Kim Barnes Arico have attained.

“This is a place you can win championships,” Fralick said.

But the neighborhood has become increasingly tougher. This past season, the Big Ten sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament, with Iowa making it to the National Championship Game.

Merchant preached many times, the recruiting game and acquisition of talented student-athletes was an “arms race.” 

That means there will be be a lot of long days ahead for Fralick as she gets established in what she said was a destination job in her coaching career. And if done correctly, the new Michigan State women’s basketball coach should have no problem maintaining the success of a program that boasts 18 NCAA tournament appearances, which includes 22 postseason appearances in total, four Big Ten championships, a Big Ten Tournament title, and an appearance in the National Championship game.

“The tradition of the program is incredibly motivating. Our expectations of the program will be to continuously stay in pursuit of excellence on and off the court,” Fralick said. “We will play team basketball and use the sport of basketball as a transformative experience for our student athletes.”

Coach Fralick, you are on the clock. The money, the growing stage, and the moment have made it that way.