Michigan State opens its men’s basketball season Monday night at home against Colgate. Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch breaks down the Spartans’ roster.
PROJECTED OPENING NIGHT STARTERS
PG Jeremy Fears Jr., 6-2, redshirt sophomore
This is Fears’ show now. MSU will go only as far as he can take them. The Spartans don’t need him to be a prolific scorer, but they need him to control the game and get Coen Carr and Jaxson Kohler the ball in places where they can score. They need him to hit open shots and free throws, be tenacious defensively, and be their teeth personality-wise. Fears has a quality every team needs — he plays with an edge and wants to get in an opponent’s head. He’s got a little “I’ll fight you” to him, with no apologies. As long as he controls that and uses it for good, it’ll be welcomed.
SG Kur Teng, 6-4, sophomore
Teng enters the season as one of the possibilities to be MSU’s primary shooting guard. While he’ll have to be an adequate defender to play big minutes, he’s playing Big Ten basketball because of his potential as a shot-maker. Teng has a pure stroke and is comfortable on catch-and-shoot opportunities from deep and mid-range, and I think he’ll be able to create some off the bounce. He showed a little of that against Bowling Green, before a rough night in the second exhibition at Connecticut. If Teng is above a 37% 3-point shooter, he’ll be a major contributor.
MORE: Couch: Kur Teng’s parents sacrificed for him to chase the American dream. He’s trying to pay it back at MSU.
SF Coen Carr, 6-5, junior
As Coen Carr continues to expand his offensive game, he’s got to do the things that make him special. That includes changing the game at the rim with momentum-swinging dunks, both in transition and on half-court cuts and lobs, and creating second-chance opportunities on the glass, something he sometimes gets away from. Sure, MSU needs him to be the most complete player he can be, knocking down open jumpers out to beyond the 3-point line, showing an increased ability to get to the rim (and the line) on his own. The Spartans don’t have enough shooters and drivers for him not to contribute in those areas. But his game starts with energy. And his energy can change games.
PF Jaxon Kohler, 6-9, senior
Kohler has become a physical presence on the glass, an elite rebounder, and solid in a lot of other areas. He’s a good Big Ten player. He has the tools to be even more offensively, if he can find consistency with his shot inside and out. MSU needs to make sure it’s getting Kohler touches in areas on the court where he has a chance to be a weapon. And MSU needs him to be a weapon. I’ve thought for a while that Kohler has the potential for an A.J. Granger- or Kenny Goins-like senior season beyond the arc. If that happens, that alone is worth three or four more wins.
C Carson Cooper, 6-11, senior
Cooper has become one of the better unheralded recruiting finds in Tom Izzo’s tenure. He’s a good ball-screen defender, a plus-rebounder and a self-aware offensive player. Because of that, he’s tried to add a 3-point shot to his game this offseason. We’ll see how much he uses it, but he recognized just how much defenses ignore him offensively and how that increases congestion in the paint. If he’s a 33% 3-point shooter and takes 40 of them this season, it’ll have an impact, both on the scoreboard and spacing. Mostly, he’s got to be an upper-tier defensive center. The Spartans have some defensive questions elsewhere. MSU needs Cooper’s defense to be something it can count on.
IN THE ROTATION
F Cam Ward, 6-8, freshman
Ward’s role is likely to expand as the season goes along, as he gets more assertive offensively and as it becomes clear that MSU needs his skills on the court. One of Ward’s strengths appears to be letting the game come to him. I think he’ll be an efficient player, one who folks will be begging to shoot more, much like they were with Jase Richardson early last season. Ward plays a different position and will almost certainly have a different role than Richardson, but the readiness I think is there. How he’s used and with what lineups is the question — does he just back up Kohler or also play alongside him? The answer, I believe, will eventually be the latter.
SG Trey Fort, 6-4, senior
There’s a decent chance Fort becomes MSU’s primary shooting guard. Some of that depends on him, but a lot also depends Kur Teng and freshman Jordan Scott. While there are still questions about Fort’s upside and consistency at the Big Ten level, who he is as a player is more fully baked than the other two. MSU needs Fort to be a seasoned shot-maker and scorer, beyond the arc and attacking the rim. If he’s locks in defensively and is the rebounding guard I think he can be, he may grab this position.
G Divine Ugochukwu, 6-3, sophomore
Ugochukwu is going to play an important role on this team as MSU’s backup point guard, probably about 10 minutes a game. The question is how much he plays off the ball. Ugochukwu offers some things that could make him a compelling option next to Fears. But his primary responsibility will be running the show when Fears is on the bench. MSU needs him to do that well.
C Jesse McCulloch, 6-10, redshirt freshman
McCulloch is an essential part of this team, especially if Kohler and Cooper are going to play a lot of minutes together, meaning McCulloch will be brought in more quickly off the bench. He’s also important because of his skill set. He can stretch a defense with his outside shot, which makes him more than just an intriguing young backup. The key, though, is how well he defends and rebounds. That’ll decide the size of his role.
G/F Jordan Scott, 6-7, freshman
I didn’t know if Scott would be in MSU’s rotation this season. But after two exhibition games, it’s hard to imagine him being left out. He’s not going to allow it. His grit and length make him an interesting option at shooting guard or on the wing right away. If he starts knocking down shots with regularity, he might have a much bigger role than anyone imagined.
MORE: Couch: Predicting Michigan State’s basketball season – Arkansas through Duke, the Big Ten and March Madness
IN RESERVE
G Denham Wojcik, 6-2, senior
Wojcik, a graduate transfer from Harvard and the son of MSU assistant coach Doug Wojcik, gives the Spartans some experienced insurance at point guard. I doubt he’ll be in the nightly rotation, but on a roster that doesn’t carry as many players as it once did, you can imagine him being useful if foul trouble or an injury strikes.
DEEP IN RESERVE
G Nick Sanders, 5-10, senior
Sanders will continue to be a fan favorite off the bench and provide value on the scout team. He’ll always be known as the son of Barry, but Sanders has become a value part of MSU’s program internally.
F Brennan Walton, 6-7, redshirt freshman
Brennan, an Okemos graduate, returns for his second season. This year, no longer redshirting, expect to see him in mop-up duty late in games.
F Colin Walton, 6-7, redshirt freshman
Colin, Brennan’s twin brother, will also see garbage-time minutes, while working on the scout team.
INJURED
F Kaleb Glenn, 6-7, junior
Glenn, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, will sit out the season with a leg injury suffered early in the summer. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining when he returns next season.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
