Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo is at a bit of a crossroads with his program. He needs to make a move via the transfer portal to bolster the roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.
After the Spartans lost Tre Holloman, Gehrig Normand and Xavier Booker to the transfer portal, the Spartans have multiple holes they need to fill. While there is still an in-state high school prospect the Spartans could take an interest in, more than likely these holes are going to have to be filled via the transfer portal.
One of the holes that appears to be very large is the backup point guard role. Assuming Jase Richardson is departing for the NBA draft, as everyone is expecting, the Spartans will need a ball handler behind Jeremy Fears Jr. in case of injury or foul trouble.
In the event Richardson returns to MSU, he would assume the backup point guard role behind Fears, playing a similar role to Holloman in 2024-25.
On Wednesday, we identified potential starting shooting guard prospects. This time we focus on nine potential backup point guard targets.
Backup point guard is a tough role to sell, similar to selling a backup quarterback role, but I believe the Spartans have around 15-20 minutes to sell to a potential prospect as both a backup point guard and a rotation shooting guard.
With more than 800 players in the portal, it is impossible to determine who the Spartans will pursue for this role, but check out who Spartans Wire has identified as potential prospects Izzo and his staff could make a call to:
Dallin Hall (BYU)
A recent entrant into the portal, Dallin Hall has spent the past three seasons playing for BYU, where he has gained a wealth of experience in the Cougars’ backcourt. In 100 games (61 starts), Hall averaged 7.7 points, 4.1 assists and 2.5 rebounds. This past year, Hall slightly regressed under first-year coach Kevin Young, prompting the change of scenery.
As for his fit with MSU, this role might be a touch too small for Hall, who may be looking for starter minutes. But there is an avenue for the minutes to be right and for Hall to seamlessly take over the role left by Holloman.
Jadin Booth (Florida Southern)
Starting his career at Omaha, Booth transferred to the Division II level, where he became one of the most prolific scorers in the country. A 6-foot-2 guard, Booth averaged 22.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists on 39.6% shooting from behind the arc. He was a first team All-American this past season.
He has garnered early interest from Ole Miss, Creighton and USF and reportedly has had serious conversations with Mercer, Samford and Elon. While a mid major would offer him plenty of shots and over 30 minutes on the court, if he wants to play on college basketball’s biggest stage, he would fill Michigan State’s open role very well.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (Illinois)
Going to Illinois as a highly touted prospect, Gibbs-Lawhorn had a somewhat disappointing first two seasons. A change of scenery is necessary, and he could be a good candidate for the role MSU has.
Familiar with playing in the Big Ten, Gibbs-Lawhorn playing at a new school with a new voice and system could change the trajectory of his college career.
Jalen Quinn (Loyola Chicago)
A player that would have a very good fit in East Lansing, Quinn spent the last three years playing for Drew Valentine at Loyola Chicago. He is a strong defender who possesses the ability to run an offense. Quinn could fit Izzo’s mold for a backup guard role.
Quinn averaged 7.1 points and 2.3 assists per game in 2024-25.
Kerr Kriisa (Kentucky)
Kriisa has been a part of the programs at Arizona, West Virginia and Kentucky during his college career. Despite looking for his fourth program, he has not been the typical player hopping from school to school for no reason. His decisions have been made for different reasons.
With one year of eligibility remaining, Kriisa might very well want to transfer to a mid major and finish his career playing 35 minutes a night and taking 15 shots a game. If he wants to be a part of major college basketball, the role MSU possesses is going to be what he has to do.
While on surface this doesn’t seem like a guy Izzo would pursue, Kriisa comes with great reviews and is the perfect veteran type player to assume the role vacated by Holloman.
Evan Nelson (Harvard)
An interesting candidate that would be able to play the backup point guard and shooting guard role, Nelson has spent the past four years getting a Harvard degree. Playing for the Crimson in three of those years (an injury derailed his 2023-24 campaign), Nelson provides the skill set necessary for the role MSU has: ball handler and shooter.
In 2024-25, Nelson averaged 9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game, showing an ability to do it all, capping it off with shooting 40.4% from 3-point land.
Avery Brown (Columbia)
Another Ivy League member, Brown averaged 11.1 points and 2.8 assists for the Lions last season. While he is not a really good 3-point shooter, he has a very nice ability to score off of the bounce and get downhill, a skillset the Spartans really lack on their roster at the moment.
Leland Walker (FAU)
Starting his career at Eastern Kentucky, before heading to Florida Atlantic last season, Walker is someone that can run the offense in a secondary role. Averaging 9.2 points and 4.5 assists with the Owls a year ago, the Indianapolis native is someone that could pique the Spartans interest with his playstyle.
Tahj Staveskie (Cleveland State)
This one is cheating, just slightly, as Staveskie is not yet in the transfer portal, but with a coaching change at Cleveland State, the Sandusky (OH) native is expected to enter.
Staveskie is a scorer, with an ability to get hot and go off. Averaging 12.1 points on 36.1% 3-point shooting, to go along with a steal per game, giving a good flare of offense and defense.
Anybody else
Izzo and his coaching staff are currently in the war room, identifying and reaching out to potential targets all across the board. At the end of the day, any body could be seen as an option in their eyes.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Nine candidates Michigan State could look at to fill the backup PG vacancy
Reporting by Cory Linsner, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
