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. That being said, 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.

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The Impact of Tre Holloman’s transfer

1. Tre Holloman transferring will probably lead to one direct impact: Michigan State will likely enter next season with more transfers in one year than we’ve ever seen before. Two transfers last year seemed like a lot with Szymon Zapala and Frankie Fidler coming onboard. However, those players did fit well into MSU’s culture, a credit to his staff for finding high-character young men in the portal. But this year, we will probably be looking at a minimum of three transfers coming into the program. That adds a new challenge and wrinkle for Izzo to navigate.
2. To further enunciate on the transfer portal needs, Tre’s decision leaves two major gaps on the team. Being a combo guard who could play both guard position, MSU will, at a minimum, need to find a reliable backup point guard behind Jeremy Fears Jr.. We will also need to monitor the decision of Jase Richardson. If the freshman phenom decides to head to the NBA, where he is a presumptive lottery pick, Tre Holloman is no longer available to slide into the starting shooting guard role. While I personally think Izzo would have tried to find a true starter in that role regardless of Tre’s decision, his transfer makes that addition even more crucial if Richardson leaves.
3. The final impact of Tre’s transfer is more philosophical. Tom Izzo has sworn to be loyal to the guys he has in his locker room. But if Tre Holloman, a person Tom Izzo handpicked to be a co-captain, could be speaking to other teams and setting up deals during the season, will that make Izzo stray from his unwavering loyalty? Other tournament teams were clearly talking to players even before their season started, with Michigan landing a former 5-star point guard in the portal a mere 48 hours after their tournament loss to Auburn. It will be interesting to see how the program reacts to what happened here with Tre Holloman. Will they start talking to portal prospects sooner? Or will the always stubborn Izzo stick to his principles moving forward?
4. My last point is this: for those fans who saw this news and started panicking, thinking that Tom Izzo and MSU might get left behind in the new world of NIL and the transfer portal, I caution you to under-estimate Tom Izzo and his staff at your own risk. NIL and the transfer portal were a factor last offseason, and the Spartans just made a run to the Elite 8. Also, while Izzo has a reputation for hating the transfer portal, he has actually been very successful when diving into the portal. From Bryn Forbes to Joey Hauser, the Spartans have a solid history of finding good rotation players in the transfer portal. Before you panic and start thinking Tre’s transfer is the death knell for Tom Izzo, I would suggest you give him the chance to adjust and see how he reacts to this latest development.

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