On Monday, just a day after Michigan State basketball fell to Auburn in the Elite 8, I wrote an article breaking down the upcoming offseason, and next season, for the Spartans. In 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 8 and an emotional, tearful aftermath in the locker room.
This is the world of college basketball today. Tre Holloman was poised to be the senior leader of this Spartans team next year. He had eligibility left. Yet, he still 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 Tre Holloman was talking to other teams. I shrugged it off at the time, as the Spartans were still in the midst of an unprecedented Big Ten title chase after starting the season as a presumptive middle-of-the-pack team in the conference. But when Power-Five starters are being promised as much as 2-million dollars 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 pouring over film and engaging with players during the season, he was 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 Tre, 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. ...