Tom Izzo explains his feelings on transfer portal, challenges MSU fans
Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo explains his frustrations with the year-round transfer portal and asks MSU fans to be different.
It took some time, but Tom Izzo found another point guard to help direct Michigan State basketball.
The Spartans received a pledge from Miami (Florida) transfer Divine Ugochukwu on Sunday, May 18, via his Instagram page, giving them a secondary ballhandler along with returning starting point guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
Ugochukwu, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound native of Sugar Land, Texas, also considered USC and Texas Tech. He has three years of eligibility remaining, the same as Fears.
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The addition — MSU’s third inbound transfer of the offseason — comes after losing two key guards from Izzo’s 11th Big Ten championship team and following a run to the Elite Eight. Tre Holloman, who started 16 of the Spartans’ 37 games, split time running the offense with Fears but transferred to North Carolina State after the season for his final year of eligibility. And Jase Richardson, who declared for the NBA draft after one season in East Lansing, served as a third point guard before taking over full-time at shooting guard role and starting the final 15 games of the season.
Izzo also has added 6-4 shooting guard Trey Fort (Samford/Mississippi State/Tennessee Martin) and 6-7 wing Kaleb Glenn (Florida Atlantic/Louisville) from the portal since April.
In his lone season with the Hurricans, Ugochukwu averaged 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists. The three-star prospect in the 2024 class started 16 of 28 games played as a freshman for the Hurricanes and took over as the lead guard following an injury to Nijel Pack. Ugochukwu had six points with 10 rebounds and four assists against eventual Final Four foe and ACC champ Duke on Feb. 25.
Over his final 10 games, Ugochukwu upped his averages to 3.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds and added 1.8 steals while playing 29.1 minutes a game. However, he averaged just 5.4 points and shot 36.2% overall and 17.4% from 3-point range (4-for-23). Ugochukwu finished the season shooting just 6-for-34 from deep.
Fears, who was shot in the upper left leg in December 2023, returned from his injuries to start all but one game (illness) last season after taking a redshirt for his first year. The 6-2, 190-pound sophomore-to-be averaged 7.2 points, 5.4 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 23.6 minutes. He shot just 39.7% overall and 34.2% from 3-point range (13-for-38).
MSU will lose nearly 82% of its made 3-pointers and nearly 83% of its attempts from behind the arc with the losses of Richardson, Holloman, Jaden Akins, Xavier Booker and Frankie Fidler.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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