Michigan State Basketball: Former Spartans thriving in new systems

Michigan State basketball had many players leave the program at the end of last year. Three of them transferred and found new places to call home.

At the end of last season, there were many questions about who was going to stay and who was going to try to find a new home. Three of these players were role players on a struggling Michigan State basketball squad and they all chose to leave.

Rocket Watts, Foster Loyer, and Thomas Kithier all went and found new teams.

Watts transferred to Mississippi State and he has been dealing with an injury all season long. He has not quite found his way on his new team because of this injury. The other two have been thriving where they call new homes.

Kithier is a starting power forward for Valparaiso this season. He isn’t leading the team in scoring. and is not even in the top-five in scoring. He is the sixth-leading scorer on the team, averaging 10.2 points. He is leading the rebounder on the team, though, averaging 6.5 rebounds.

Kithier has been a vital part of this Valpo team. He has led his team to some victories this year. The Beacons probably will not become an NCAA Tournament team this year but it is safe to say that Kithier has found a new home and is thriving.

Lastly, Loyer is the starting point guard for the Davidson Wildcats. He has turned into a mid-major star this season as he’s the second-leading scorer, averaging 16 points while leading the team with 3.0 assists per game.

The most influential part of his game is the ability to shoot the ball. Loyer is shooting an astonishing 52 percent from deep this year. He has done with while attempting 82 shots from deep as well. He is the talking point in many of the Wildcats’ games and he is a big reason why they are on top of the Atlantic 10 this year.

Loyer might not have been a Big Ten player but it’s safe to say he is a great mid-major point guard. Though he might not have been a Big Ten point guard, this acceleration in shooting makes me wonder if the Spartans were using Loyer and getting him the best opportunities to excel.

In 86 games played with the Spartans, he took just over one 3-pointer per game. In the 13 games played with Davidson, he has attempted 82 3-pointers and made 42 of them. This is impressive and makes me wonder if he could have had the same success as a Spartan.

Either way, he has found a new home with the Wildcats, leading them to what looks like their first NCAA Tournament apprearance since 2018.

Even though these players are not with the Spartans any longer it is nice to see that they are thriving and finding new homes with their new teams. Keep it up and I hope to see one of them face off against the Spartans come tournament time. That would be fun to watch.