Someone asked how the Spartans can be good after the loss of Trice and Dawson.
MSU will have the following by position:
Guards: Tum Tum Nairn (super quick PG with inconsistent shot great driving to the hoop), Denzel Valentine (very skilled All-B1G type 6-5 combo SG/SF), Forbes (6-4 SG who was great spot up 3 pt shooter) Additions: Eron Harris (very very good WVU transfer SG/PG 17pt/game), Matt McQuaid (6-5 SG), Kyle Aherns (6-4 SG) -- UM recruited all 3 additions
Forwards: Valentine, Marvin Clark (skilled 6-7 SF), Alvin Ellis (6-5 SF) Additions: Jevon Bess (6-5 very skilled SF who was redshirted) -- also recruited by Beilein
Centers: Costello (6-9 solid center with decent offensive and defensive skills), Gavin Schilling (6-9 solid center better defensively than offense but strong and great rebounder) Additions: Deyonta Davis (6-9 5* who will be more advanced on defense initially but will be a force)
They will miss Trice the most as he truly carried this team at times and truly delivered in the clutch. That said, they have Nairn who has potential if he can improve his outside shooting and Eron Harris, the transfer from West Virginia who UM was after and who averaged 17+ pts per game to step in and who will be eligible next year. Reports are that he is more of a SG who can also play PG.
Dawson will be missed in many ways but Marvin Clark backed him up this year and played very well at the end of the season and in the tournament for extended minutes when Dawson was on the bench in foul trouble. Clark is very athletic 6-6 forward with a solid build who can leap and is a very good rebounder. He is a better shooter than Dawson (40+% shooter from 3 pt line) and has a decent dribble drive. Overall, he will step in and Dawson will not be missed as significantly as you might expect.
MSU is adding Jevon Bess at the 3 who was another UM recruit and the best true freshman from this last year according to MSU experts. He was redshirted due to injury.
The MSU PG play will not be as good but the SG position will be better. The bigs will be better than last year.
Overall, I expect this MSU team to be as good or slightly better than last year. Not NC great but very solid. Elite 8 type of team.
As I wrote after the tournament seedings this year, MSU was in many ways "gifted" the Final Four this season. They would have been out on the first Sunday in the West (Ariz 2 seed), the South (Gonzaga 2 seed), and the Midwest (Kansas 2 seed which beat State during the regular season). It is possible that MSU would have beaten Kansas but would have lost to Kentucky before the Final Four. So, next year's Spartan squad could be better but not go as far, imo.
MSU will have the following by position:
Guards: Tum Tum Nairn (super quick PG with inconsistent shot great driving to the hoop), Denzel Valentine (very skilled All-B1G type 6-5 combo SG/SF), Forbes (6-4 SG who was great spot up 3 pt shooter) Additions: Eron Harris (very very good WVU transfer SG/PG 17pt/game), Matt McQuaid (6-5 SG), Kyle Aherns (6-4 SG) -- UM recruited all 3 additions
Forwards: Valentine, Marvin Clark (skilled 6-7 SF), Alvin Ellis (6-5 SF) Additions: Jevon Bess (6-5 very skilled SF who was redshirted) -- also recruited by Beilein
Centers: Costello (6-9 solid center with decent offensive and defensive skills), Gavin Schilling (6-9 solid center better defensively than offense but strong and great rebounder) Additions: Deyonta Davis (6-9 5* who will be more advanced on defense initially but will be a force)
They will miss Trice the most as he truly carried this team at times and truly delivered in the clutch. That said, they have Nairn who has potential if he can improve his outside shooting and Eron Harris, the transfer from West Virginia who UM was after and who averaged 17+ pts per game to step in and who will be eligible next year. Reports are that he is more of a SG who can also play PG.
Dawson will be missed in many ways but Marvin Clark backed him up this year and played very well at the end of the season and in the tournament for extended minutes when Dawson was on the bench in foul trouble. Clark is very athletic 6-6 forward with a solid build who can leap and is a very good rebounder. He is a better shooter than Dawson (40+% shooter from 3 pt line) and has a decent dribble drive. Overall, he will step in and Dawson will not be missed as significantly as you might expect.
MSU is adding Jevon Bess at the 3 who was another UM recruit and the best true freshman from this last year according to MSU experts. He was redshirted due to injury.
The MSU PG play will not be as good but the SG position will be better. The bigs will be better than last year.
Overall, I expect this MSU team to be as good or slightly better than last year. Not NC great but very solid. Elite 8 type of team.
As I wrote after the tournament seedings this year, MSU was in many ways "gifted" the Final Four this season. They would have been out on the first Sunday in the West (Ariz 2 seed), the South (Gonzaga 2 seed), and the Midwest (Kansas 2 seed which beat State during the regular season). It is possible that MSU would have beaten Kansas but would have lost to Kentucky before the Final Four. So, next year's Spartan squad could be better but not go as far, imo.
