Michigan State basketball's 2023-24 goals summed up in two words: 'Unfinished business'
EAST LANSING — A long prelude to this, Tom Izzo’s latest best opportunity to win a national title, began at Madison Square Garden a little over seven months ago.
No one knew what the future might hold after Michigan State basketball’s Sweet 16 loss to Kansas State in March. A few Spartans could have explored the pros, and the transfer portal remains a constant concern nowadays. The pain of defeat and a season that ended so close to a deeper run clouded the locker room.
“I just wish we could play another night together,” A.J. Hoggard said that March 23 night after MSU's 98-93 overtime loss.
But Izzo’s players all knew they had a chance to chase greatness again. They just had to stay together.
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One by one, decisions were made. A few weeks after the NCAA tournament loss, Tyson Walker and Malik Hall announced they would return for a fifth season of eligibility. Hoggard and Jaden Akins explored the NBA draft, but both decided to return. All knowing Izzo had reinforcements on the way, with perhaps his best recruiting class lined up for his 29th season at the helm.
The mission became clear when Hoggard and Akins withdrew from the draft at the end of May, summed up by two words in Hoggard’s announcement of his decision:
“Unfinished business.”
No one in the program has been shy talking all offseason about the big goal: Winning Izzo a second national championship. Basketball experts around the country like what they see in the Spartans, who are ranked No. 4 in both the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll and the Associated Press poll.
They will get their first official chance to test themselves Monday night (8:30 p.m. Big Ten Network) against James Madison at Breslin Center.
“Obviously the goal is to win it all. But I feel like that's where the downfall is,” said Hall, a senior who was part of the 2019-20 Spartans who entered the season ranked No. 1 in both polls. “In my opinion, if we think too much and too far ahead — yeah, we have those expectations. But at the end of the day, we have to come in here every single day and we have to stack days. We have to get better every single day. As long as we focus on that, and we focus on being the best that we can be, the rest of it will handle itself.
“Whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen, to my eyes. Obviously, I want to win the championship, and that's the goal for every season. But the only way we're not gonna get what we want is if we beat ourselves.”
MSU returns four starters from last year’s 21-13 team, losing only starter Joey Hauser to graduation and reserve Pierre Brooks II to transfer. Coming back is a tough, talented backcourt with Hoggard at the point, Walker at shooting guard and Akins on the wing, along with senior Mady Sissoko at center. Hall started at forward early last season before foot issues forced him to a reserve role after missing time. In all, that quintet has 489 collegiate games and 248 starts.
A sophomore group featuring guard Tre Holloman and big men Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler come back after experiencing MSU’s first deep NCAA tournament since the 2019 Final Four. Kohler is out after last month's foot surgery but is expected back by Christmas.
And then there are the newcomers: two five-star recruits in point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and forward Xavier Booker, electrifying swingman Coen Carr and shooting specialist Gehrig Normand. They gave Izzo the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation (according to 247 Sports' composite rankings); it helps to bolster the Spartans depth and amplify the expectations for this season.
“Even years when we're not picked quite as high, I'm looking forward to the season. Because we've gotten to a Final Four as a 7-seed and a 1-seed. So that part, it's always exciting to get ready for this season,” Izzo said Thursday. “But the blend of having veterans and rookies has been fun.”
The Spartans return 74.9% of their scoring, 66.9% of their rebounding, 85.1% of their assists and 75.9% of the minutes played from a year ago.
Walker is a preseason All-Big Ten pick and on the NABC Player of the Year preseason watch list entering his third season at MSU. Last year, the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder finished with 14.8 points and made 45.9% of his shots; the Westbury, New York, native emerged as perhaps the most clutch late-game shooter in the Big Ten. His lightning-quick defensive presence — along with the other guards, all of whom are sturdy defenders — is allowing Izzo to experiment with using more full-court pressure early in the season.
Hoggard, also a preseason All-Big Ten pick, averaged 12.9 points last year with 5.9 assists, ninth-best nationally. Akins posted 9.8 points and four rebounds per game while making 42.2% of his 3-point attempts. The two 6-4 guards, along with the 6-7 Hall and 6-9 Sissoko, all have long wingspans and rugged frames.
Coming off an exhilarating 89-88 exhibition loss to No. 10 Tennessee, the Spartans face a James Madison team that went 21-11 a year ago and is picked to win the Sun Belt title this season. They’ll host Southern Indiana on Thursday, then prepare for the first showdown game of the year: No. 3 Duke at the Champions Classic in Chicago on Nov. 14.
“We definitely got to prove a point,” Walker said Thursday. “We're ranked, but we haven't really done anything yet, so we gotta show people."
Asked what he wanted his own legacy to be when he leaves MSU, Walker felt one thing would take care of everything.
“I definitely want to win,” he said. “There is no legacy if you don't win.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball's goal in two words: 'Unfinished business'
