BREAKING: Transfer Center Szymon Zapala Commits to Michigan State
Michigan State men's basketball has finally landed a center in the transfer portal.
On Tuesday, former Longwood University center Szymon Zapala announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he has committed to the Spartans.
Zapala is Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's second transfer commit of the offseason, joining former University of Nebraska Omaha forward Frankie Fidler. Before Fidler's commitment, Izzo had not landed a transfer since former Spartan guard Tyson Walker in 2021.
Thrilled to announce my commitment to Michigan State University! Proud to be a Spartan! Let’s get to work! pic.twitter.com/LkRyAHw305
— Szymon Zapala (@szymon_zapala) May 14, 2024
Zapala, a 7-foot, 240-pound center, spent one season at Longwood, helping lead it to an NCAA Tournament appearance before it fell to a No.1-seeded Houston team in the First Round. Along the way, he helped lead the Lancers to a Big South Tournament title and earned All-Big South Tournament honors.
The transfer center averaged 9.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in 16.8 minutes per game. He started in 24 of 35 games.
Zapala had transferred to Longwood from Utah State, where he spent three seasons. He averaged just 4.6 minutes in his 45 games with the Aggies.
Prior to Utah State, Zapala, a native of Poland, was a member of the Poland national team at the 2019 U18 FIBA European Championships, where he averaged 7.1 points a game, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
While Zapala has yet to compete in a competitve Power Five conference, his addition his huge for the Spartans -- quite literally. Michigan State has not had a 7-foot center since Marcus Bingham Jr. Zapala's presence will not only be needed on the offensive end of the court, but it will be vital on the defensive end, as the Spartans have lacked the size to compete with the better big men in the conference in recent years.
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