Coen Carr's second-year leap has Michigan State playing on another level

Coen Carr is special.

Michigan State's Coen Carr makes a 3-pointer against Florida Atlantic during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in East Lansing.
Michigan State's Coen Carr makes a 3-pointer against Florida Atlantic during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming into the 2024-25 season, there were many storylines that captured the attention of Michigan State basketball fans.

Would Xavier Booker take that next step and play like the former five-star we expected? Would Jeremy Fears Jr. be 100 percent? Who would step up in the absence of Tyson Walker? Is this team really going to compete for a Big Ten title?

There were even more than that, but one that got overlooked and somewhat swept under the rug was the growth of sophomore Coen Carr after a relatively quiet freshman season.

Through 12 games, he has been nothing short of fantastic.

And on Saturday afternoon against FAU, he had his best game as a Spartan, scoring 17 points with eight rebounds, a steal, and a block in 23 minutes. He showed that he can be a 20-25 minutes per game player on a regular basis. He was not only playing great defense and running the floor like no other power forward in the country, but he was rebounding and even finishing around the basket on the offensive end. Oh, and he hit his first 3-pointer of the year which sent the bench into a frenzy.

Carr has been on fire this season, averaging 8.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, shooting over 60 percent from the floor. Over the past five games, he's been playing even better, averaging 10.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game. He's also shooting 59 percent from the floor.

Carr's growth has been one of the most important aspects of Michigan State's turnaround this season and it feels like he's only going to get better. If he can add a consistent jumper, he's going to be nearly impossible to defend.