Why MSU's Tom Izzo Thinks His Squad Can Be 'Damn Good'
With each passing year, the window closes more and more for Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo to earn that second national title banner for the Green and White.
In recent years, the Spartans haven't quite met the standard of Michigan State basketball, but with this year's squad, Coach Izzo believes he could have something special.
"We have different pieces," Izzo said, per WILX. "It's been kind of fun because we get some guys that have come back -- Cassius [Winston] has been there all summer; Joey Hauser's been there a lot early, then he's been at camp. Tyson Walker came back for the last couple days. ... We're an intriguing team right now. I think we've got some parts and pieces. If we can put it all together, we're going to be damn good."
Michigan State lost its top three scorers from last year in Walker, forward Malik Hall and guard A.J. Hoggard, it gained some valuable pieces in transfers Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala, as well as its freshmen class of guards Jase Richardson and Kur Teng and forward Jesse McCulloch.
On top of that, the Spartans are returning some very talented assets who are all looking to take that next step -- guards Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman, Jeremy Fears Jr. and Gehrig Normand, forwards Coen Carr and Jaxon Kohler and centers Xavier Booker and Carson Cooper.
Booker, Fears, Carr and Normand were all part of a highly-regarded 2023 freshmen class, and all four will be looked to to have more important roles this coming season.
"I would say all four of us have matured a lot," Normand said at the 2024 Moneyball Pro-Am last month. "We understand what it takes to be good. We've learned a lot from the past year, and just getting better. We understand putting time in and then getting extra shots up and what that means and getting in the film room and everything.
The Spartans are getting ready to head to Spain for a trip that should bring this already tight-knit unit closer before the start of the 2024 season.
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