Couch: In a crowded Michigan State backcourt, Tre Holloman isn't conceding anything

HOLT – Tre Holloman doesn’t see his situation at Michigan State as a predicament. He doesn’t view the return of A.J. Hoggard and Tyson Walker and the presence of ballyhooed freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. as a barrier to his career trajectory or ability to carve out a meaningful role this upcoming season. He says he never considered leaving for someplace where playing time might come easier, quicker.

“I chose Michigan State for a reason,” Holloman said Tuesday night after his game at the Moneyball Pro-Am at Holt High School. “My mom told me that it was going to be tough. I took the challenge.

“Everybody's trying to do the same thing — go to the league (the NBA). So you've got to bring it every day. You can't be scared of a competition. You’ve got to go against the competition. And at the end, we're all teammates.”

Holloman is coming off what can only be considered a mostly successful freshman season. He was a rotation player, playing 8.6 minutes per game as MSU’s primary backup point guard … until late in the season, when he wasn’t, when Walker became the preferred choice as the alternative to Hoggard down the stretch in important games.

Holloman understood it.

“It's all about trust. They trusted Tyson more,” Holloman said of Walker, who started at shooting guard. “So I just had to get in and work. I've learned a lot from from Tyson and A.J. Now I am a way, way different player. I’m 10 times better.”

If that’s the case, next winter will be the Tre Holloman show in East Lansing. But even as an exaggeration, what Holloman is saying is that he feels different. He feels like he can be himself — more talkative, more aggressive, that he has more of a “green light,” as he put it. He’s earned that through long hours in the gym, hours his coaches and teammates have witnessed, and through holding his own in some important moments last season.

“Last year, I'm the new guy. Nobody respects me,” Holloman said. “But now, the respect is coming. They trust me more. (Tom) Izzo trusts me. The coaching staff trusts me. My teammates trust me even more. I’ve just got to step up and play.”

There is still the math of it all, however. There are only so many guard minutes to be had in a game, only so many minutes to go around at point guard. And, again, there’s also Hoggard, Walker and Fears. Jaden Akins figures to have the ball in his hands more, too.

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Figuring out Holloman’s role next season mostly comes down to the addition of Fears, an exciting prospect who himself probably didn’t figure the backcourt would be this crowded when he signed with the Spartans last November. Fears is going to play. Perhaps, apparently, with Holloman.

“Me and him, we have gotten along because coach puts us on the same team. He plays the 1. I play the 2,” Holloman said. “I’m still a point guard. But my shooting has gotten better, so coach is trying to move me around, play with different lineups.”

It’s an intriguing second-unit backcourt this season and possible starting backcourt in 2024-25 — one that would have plenty of ball-handling and defense, if the shooting is there.

Not that Moneyball Pro-Am stats should ever be cited, but to Holloman’s point about his shot, here’s a Moneyball stat: He leads the summer league in 3-pointers made with 18 through five games. He hit several down the stretch of a close game Tuesday night. He looks like someone who’s more comfortable in his skin, closer to the jovial personality he was in high school back in Minneapolis.

Holloman played an important role last season because he realized early on that his ticket to playing time was to understand his role — to be a pest on defense, to be solid on offense, to rarely shoot, unless wide open, to make the basic plays, not the big plays. To not mess up.

He also understands that alone won’t get him on the court this season. The competition has stiffened.

He’s not in a race to make it his team, but he’s also not planning to waste this season watching.

“You might have to be patient. But you’ve also got to be urgent,” Holloman said.

MORE: Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's four freshmen from opening night at the Moneyball Pro-Am

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball: In a crowded backcourt, Tre Holloman isn't conceding