On Monday, one day after Michigan State basketball fell to Auburn in the Elite Eight, I wrote an article breaking down the upcoming offseason and next season for the Spartans. In response to that article, I received some backlash for wondering if Tre Holloman might enter the transfer portal.
“Tre Holloman isn’t going anywhere” one Facebook user said.
One day later, Holloman, MSU’s co-captain, entered the NCAA transfer portal, just two days removed from an 0-for-10 showing in the Elite Eight and an emotional, tearful aftermath in the locker room.
This is the world of college basketball. Holloman was poised to be the senior leader of this Spartans team next year. He had eligibility left. Yet, he decided to transfer.
I am not going to claim to be an insider, but I do talk to people in the media and around the program, and I had heard whispers for months that Holloman was talking to other teams. I shrugged it off as the Spartans were in the midst of an unprecedented Big Ten title chase after starting the season as a presumptive middle-of-the-pack conference team. But when power conference starters are being promised as much as $2 million per year, we can no longer shrug off those types of rumors, I suppose. Even when it’s your team captain and your team is in the middle of a national title chase.
Tom Izzo has made a point to put the players he recruited first. While other coaches have their staff poring over film and engaging with players during the season, he adamantly focused on the players he had in his locker room and his goal of winning a second national championship. I am sure true insiders (there are many talented journalists covering this team who do a great job) will eventually uncover the full story of what happened with Holloman, but if he was negotiating with teams in the background during the season, saying that is disappointing might be an understatement, at least from a fan’s perspective. However, I’m not here to criticize a young man, one who probably didn’t have a future career as an NBA player, for getting life-changing money for his labor, even if the emotional side does sting a little. That’s his prerogative, but now MSU will need to adjust, learn and move forward.
The Impact of Tre Holloman’s transfer
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Examining the impact, meaning of Tre Holloman transferring for MSU basketball
Reporting by Andrew Brewster, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
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