Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's performance in an exhibition win over Hillsdale and the debuts of four freshmen
1. A much-needed, long-awaited debut for this MSU basketball team
EAST LANSING – For the roughly 10,000 Michigan State fans on hand, Wednesday night at Breslin center sounded like a therapy session that turned into a party. They’d had enough dark introspection for the time being. Basketball season was here to change the vibe.
There is only so much one can take from a 85-43 exhibition win over Hillsdale. Most importantly, it was on the schedule.
After weeks of watching a football team with middling talent fall short, MSU’s men’s basketball team took the court with the sort of roster that should measure up just fine in college basketball — five players with extensive starting experience, replaced by a line change of intriguing young players who entered to a massive ovation with 16:13 remaining in the first half. Izzo afterward made it clear that he won't be using line changes once the real games begin. But it added to the thrill of Wednesday.
And for MSU's freshmen, it was an important moment. So was this game, which helped them shed some admittedly nervous energy.
“It felt a lot different (than a scrimmage) when all of us checked in and the announcer first called our names,” freshman Coen Carr said. “I know people don’t think it’s much because of the (opponent), but it really helps to be able to play that first game, no matter who we’re playing.”
This is a team with a high floor. But it's the ceiling that has people as giddy as I’ve seen in years. Nothing that transpired Wednesday will, and should, quell that buzz.
2. Freshman thoughts – the Hillsdale exhibition edition
I haven’t heard an ovation at Breslin Center like when MSU’s four freshman checked in for the first time Wednesday since the last time Steven Izzo checked in for mop-up duty. People have been waiting for this — for Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Xavier Booker and Gehrig Normand to make their debuts. It was just an exhibition game, but for now, it’ll suffice.
A few things stood out:
Fears is a tenacious two-way player — confident as heck offensively, never letting up on the defensive end. And he’s going to help MSU’s break. He loves the look-ahead pass. Against Hillsdale, it largely worked — except the time Carr fell down. It’ll be interesting to see how often he tries it against longer and more athletic competition.
“If my teammate has a step or two, I think I’m able to pass ahead,” Fears said afterwards. “I trust in myself that I can put the ball right in his hands as he’s running and lead him right to the basket. … I’ve been doing it since I was young.”
As a recruit, I put Fears in the Gary Harris / Miles Bridges category — the sort of big-time get that Izzo sometimes treated with kid gloves. As a point guard, though, you can already see it — Fears is going to get the full Izzo experience. On Wednesday, that included both stern conversations with Fears nodding along and the two of them with their arms around each other talking through what had just occurred.
Fears finished with two points, eight assists and four turnovers in 18 minutes, seeing the game out with Steven Izzo on the floor.
Carr left the game for the younger Izzo, one fan favorite for another. Carr is going to entertain this season. He did Wednesday, most notably with a steal and thunderous one-handed dunk in the first half for two of his 12 points in 15 minutes. He had just three rebounds. That’s the number to watch — the number that’ll determine a lot about the extent of his role this season. He played mostly small forward but a little power forward, too. He could see minutes there if he outplays Booker.
“Being able to play multiple positions, that’s one of the reasons they recruited me,” Carr said. “(The challenge) is more on the defensive end, guarding bigger players.”
Booker’s skill stands out. He hit a somewhat contested 3-pointer from the left wing right out of the gate and another 3 later on. Those were all six of his points. I think his baseline mid-range jumper will be a weapon, too. He also had three blocked shots, albeit against smaller competition. I want to see Booker against high-major and Division I competition before I really assess him. Because that’s not only when he’ll be tested physically — he got moved around a little Wednesday by Hillsdale — but also when I think his skill and length might actually separate him. Against Hillsdale, MSU’s entire roster was athletically superior. This much is clear and Izzo said it Wednesday night: Booker is going to have to be better on the glass if he's going to play important minutes.
Normand played eight minutes and scored two points — on a reverse layup in transition on a dish from Fears. He’s the 11th man in what’s likely a 10-man rotation. But he’s skilled. If he were on last year’s team, he might have played 12-15 minutes a game in November.
3. Tre Holloman isn’t going anywhere
There aren’t too many definitive statements I’m willing to make after an exhibition game against Hillsdale. This is one: Tre Holloman isn’t going to be pushed out of this playing rotation, no matter how crowded and talented the backcourt is around him.
Holloman looked the part Wednesday of a sophomore who learned a few things as a freshman — like what it takes to play. He understood last season that if he just didn’t make mistakes, he’d have a role as a backup point guard. He’s adapted, seemingly understanding that if he’s going to have a role this year, it’s going to be largely as a second-unit off-guard, often next to freshman Jeremy Fears Jr.
Holloman scored nine points on five shots in 20 minutes Wednesday night (along with four assists), with two of his buckets lost in the jubilation of a freshmen’s bucket right before his — his 3-pointer right after a Xavier Booker triple and a strong drive and score while being fouled while the crowd was still buzzing from Coen Carr’s first dunk.
That’s going to be the story of his season, I think. His presence isn’t going to excite the building the way his younger teammates being on the court will. Nor will he be as impactful as his older backcourt mates. But the notion that Holloman might be the odd man out … he doesn’t look like he’s willing to relent.
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State basketball beats Hillsdale in exhibition: 3 quick takes
