Tom Izzo previews upcoming season at Michigan State basketball media day
East Lansing, Mich. – With a full week of practice behind him, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo previewed the upcoming season during Spartan basketball media day on Tuesday. The Spartans return four starters and eight of their Top 10 scorers from a team that played its best basketball in March and made a run to the Sweet 16.
The veteran guard trio of Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard, and Jaden Akins lead a team that is ranked in the Top 5 in most pre-season polls. Michigan State also has depth inside with Mady Sissoko, Carson Cooper, and Jaxon Kohler all returning.
The Spartans also have a quartet of talented newcomers from a consensus Top 10 recruiting class headlined by a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans in Jeremy Fears and Xavier Booker. The four-man class also includes high-flying wing Coen Carr and Dallas-area shooting guard Gehring Normand, both four-star recruits.
“We are a little more than a week into practice now, and I am going to go a little bit unconventional and tell you that I love my team,” Izzo said. “I do. I love them because I’ve seen some veterans change. I’ve seen the middle group grow, and I’ve seen the young guys with a lot of talent.”
Michigan State veterans have taken younger players under their wing. And that guidance has raised the ceiling of the entire team.
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“Xavier, Jeremy, Gehrig, and Coen don’t realize how lucky they are,” Izzo said. “Mady has done such a good job with the big guys. AJ, Tyson, and Jaden have done a phenomenal job. They are going to be the staple of what we are. They have the experience of winning and the experience of losing. There is nothing like experience when a player is telling another player in comparison to a coach telling a player.”
The biggest question mark facing Michigan State as it works towards exhibition games against Hillsdale (Oct. 25) and Tennessee (Oct.29) is at the four. The Spartans are tasked with replacing Joey Hauser, who signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz last summer after averaging 14.4 points and 7.0 rebounds as a senior for the Spartans last season. Hauser led the team in made threes (77) and 3-point field goal percentage (46.1). He also led the Spartans in rebounds and tied Walker in minutes per game (34.0).
Senior Malik Hall, who split time between the three and the four last season, has extensive experience at the four for Michigan State. Hall, who underwent off-season foot surgery, is still working his way back from injury after returning to the practice court in August. Hall’s all-around game is not yet where it was at before undergoing surgery. Booker, a consensus Top 20 recruit, has tremendous physical upside and a reputation as a perimeter scoring threat. The former Indianapolis Cathedral standout, however, is raw and needs time to attain functionality.
Fans looking to get their first glimpse of Michigan State will have an opportunity to watch both the men’s and women’s basketball teams in action on Friday, Oct. 13 for Midnight Madness. Doors open at 8:00 pm and admission is free. Players from both teams will sign autographs between 8-9 before the night’s festivities begin. The Spartan marching band, drumline, cheerleaders, dance team, and Sparty will all be on hand for Midnight Madness.
