BUFFALO, NY – Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler have talked for weeks about the urgency of this being their final season and, more importantly, their final NCAA Tournament run.
Trey Fort, however, has taken that to another level.
Perhaps Tom Izzo’s most improved and inspiring postseason player delivered another eye-opening performance in his redemptive arc that is quickly becoming a tale of perseverance that will go down in Michigan State basketball March Madness lore.
Two days after providing the 3-seed Spartans with a boost off the bench in their first-round win over North Dakota State, Fort delivered again – and beyond – in their 77-69 win over 6-seed Louisville on Saturday, March 21, to propel Izzo into his 17th Sweet 16.
“Effort is what matters,” Fort said after scoring 12 points on 3-for-5 shooting. “And that’s what I’m leaning on right now, man. Having effort, bringing a spark to the team and helping us in any way I can.”
Fort, who began the season as a starter before losing minutes and falling out of the regular rotation, swished three critical 3-pointers against the Cardinals, including his second four-point play of the weekend at KeyBank Center. And the 6-foot-4, 200-pound shooting guard displayed the tenacious defense and rebounding Izzo has sought all winter from the sixth-year senior, finishing with a season-best five rebounds and a steal.
The well-traveled transfer also had an assist, did not commit a turnover and drew four fouls in his 18 minutes, 58 seconds. It was the most court time for Fort since his season-high 21 minutes in a Nov. 27 win over North Carolina in Fort Myers, Florida. Since the start of 2026, he had averaged just 7 minutes in his 16 Big Ten regular-season games, along with two DNPs in the final two weeks before the postseason.
Even though Izzo continued to predict Fort could have a breakout like Frankie Fidler did last postseason. And Izzo credited Fort for becoming “a much, much, much better defensive player” over the past few weeks with some tough-love coaching from Izzo and trust from assistant Doug Wojcik.
“I’m appreciative of being able to push guys, being able to challenge guys, and then watch them come through,” Izzo said. “Hey, [Fort] gets a big hug and a kiss when I’m done. He had to be disappointed. He’d come here thinking he was gonna – I mean, he was starting early. That’s hard, not everybody can do that. So credit to him, his family, credit to my players and my assistant coach who just keeps beating me up.”
Fort’s only other trip to the NCAAs was a 1-minute stint for Mississippi State against the Spartans in a 2024 first-round Spartans win. He arrived to play for Izzo and MSU this offseason, his sixth school – Tennessee Martin, two different junior colleges, Mississippi State and Samford and, finally, MSU – in six years.
After playing just 17 minutes total in MSU’s final five regular-season games (including not getting in at either Purdue or Michigan), Fort is averaging 14.7 minutes and nine points in three Big Ten and NCAA tournament games. He’s also shooting 50% on 10 tries from 3-point range against UCLA, NDSU and Louisville.
“Honestly, I just say it’s preparation. Just being prepared and being ready to help the team be that spark off the bench,” Fort said Thursday after scoring seven points with two assists, a steal and a blocked shot in 12:17 against the Bison. “Because it doesn’t matter when you get in, how long you’re in – you’re important, man. At this time of year, you have to play for each other. …
“I love it, man. I’m gonna continue to do it and continue to do everything I can to give us that spark.”
Senior sessions for Cooper, Kohler, Wojcik
Fort isn’t the only MSU senior making memories.
Denham Wojcik had his own March Madness moment in the opener against NDSU, with his first multi-basket game as a Spartan; Thursday’s two makes on two attempts, for four points, upped his season-long shooting to 6-for-20. On Saturday, he played 2:58 against Louisville and did not chart any stats other than drawing a foul, appearing to injure his right shoulder midway through the second half and going to the bench.
Wojcik, who became the Spartans’ backup point guard when Divine Ugochukwu suffered a foot injury and underwent surgery in February, is assistant coach Doug Wojcik’s son. He never played in the NCAAs while at Harvard, before arriving in East Lansing over the summer.
“You always have those initial jitters and butterflies,” Denham Wojcik said Thursday. “Once you first step foot on the court and get that first play, it settles.”
Meanwhile, Kohler and Cooper – heading to their third Sweet 16 in their four years at MSU – combined for 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Cardinals on Saturday. That included a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock from Cooper in the second half after he tied a career high with 20 points to go with 10 rebounds in Thursday’s opener.
“These are part of the memory-making opportunities that we have as a team, the ones you’re not gonna forget,” said Cooper, who had nine points and five rebounds against Louisville that included a pair of late dunks off two of Jeremy Fears Jr.’s MSU tournament record 16 assists. “Especially since it’s a lot of these guys’ first one.”
While Kohler had 10 points on 3-for-9 shooting, five of them came during a pivotal possession late as the Spartans extended their lead back to double digits, after the Cardinals had cut it to three. Virtually tackled by Louisville’s Vangelis Zougris, Kohler saw the foul upgraded to a Flagrant-1, then hit the two free throws. MSU got the ball back, and after a Coen Carr offensive rebound, Fears found Kohler for his second 3-pointer of the game. Soon after, Fort also drained his third 3 of the game to start the 16-6 clinching run.
“It’s great,” Kohler said. “This is everybody’s biggest dream, advancing in the tournament. We had a couple of mistakes in this game, but we ultimately kept grinding. And kept playing together and just continued to be tough, physically and mentally, and were able to get the win.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trey Fort delivers payoff to Michigan State basketball development
Reporting by Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
