Michigan State basketball gains two players in Maliq Carr, Keon Coleman

Michigan State basketball gains two players on a trial basis which started on Thursday. Maliq Carr and Keon Coleman started their trial with the Spartans.

Michigan State basketball has just gained two players midway through the season. These players are Maliq Carr and Keon Coleman. They both played football this year they received limited time on the field.

Now they want to try their hand at basketball.

They both came to MSU with the hopes of being two-sport athletes and now they will get to try. Tom Izzo and Mel Tucker have met and both are on board with the kids playing basketball.

Carr, standing at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, played tight end on the football field and if he plays basketball on the court would probably be at the small forward position.

Coleman, standing at 6-4 and 210 pounds, played wide receiver. If he gets time on the court he would most likely play the shooting guard spot.

Tom Izzo has said that they are on a trial basis. They will need to fit in with this team because right now these Spartans have great chemistry and camaraderie. Just because they are on the team does not mean they will see time on the court. They will start low on the totem pole and they could potentially work themselves up to the second team and maybe potentially they see time on the court.

These Spartans have some game to them so they could work their way up but they will need to prove themselves. On one hand, they could be stealing minutes from a teammate where there are already limited minutes to steal. On the other hand, if these two put in the work and prove their worth to a top 10 team they could provide valuable depth if players start to get sick with COVID-19 or other issues.

What Carr can add to this team is another rim protector. In high school, he was aggressive on the defensive side and was always looking to block the shot. He is not just a defender, though. He can also add a spark on the offensive side by getting to the rim and using his length and big size to get around defenders or bully them down to get the position. If Carr can show this kind of athleticism to the Spartan coaches, he could find a nice spot on this team. Izzo mentioned that Carr is a little better than Coleman but the latter is a freak of an athlete.

Coleman is a freak of an athlete like Izzo said. He could add just another scoring option for the Spartans. He can score in a plethora of ways. He can take it inside and hit floaters or even use his speed to get around defenders and go up for the jam. He can also step back and hit the deep jumper. With the athleticism of Coleman, he could provide someone who is not afraid to take over games and score when this team is in need of a boost.

Both of these things are speculative with how they fit into the way they play with the team but it could lead to something great. These players could give the Spartans that extra oomph that could turn the No. 10 nationally ranked team with no great wins into a huge contender that will win some huge games.