Tom Izzo has been working like a mad man this offseason, trying to get his roster in order for a repeat effort in 2025-26. Michigan State basketball won its first Big Ten title since Cassius Winston was still breaking ankles in a Spartan uniform, but Izzo isn't content.
The previous postseason, Izzo stated that he was going to get Michigan State back to deep runs in March or die trying and he did that in the form of an Elite Eight run.
Unfortunately, the push for national title No. 2 was cut short by Bruce Pearl and Auburn as the Tigers' team of 24 and 25-year-olds was just too much for Michigan State to handle.
Following the loss, Michigan State lost guys like Tre Holloman, Xavier Booker, Jase Richardson, and Gehrig Normand earlier than it had expected. Richardson entered the NBA Draft and Holloman, Booker, and Normand all hit the transfer portal and found new homes.
This left Izzo with a dilemma: utilize the transfer portal more than he ever had before or roll with a thin roster and maybe add one or two guys? He went with the former.
Izzo went against his usual beliefs and landed four transfers this offseason from FAU's Kaleb Glenn, Samford's Trey Fort, and Miami's Divine Ugochukwu. He also landed Denham Wojcik who happens to be the son of associate head coach Doug Wojcik from Harvard. Wojcik will be an end-of-the-bench guy but he's also got experience and was a captain at Harvard as a junior.
What do the rest of the guys bring to the table? Glenn is a shooter who's athletic, can play defense, and isn't afraid to finish strong at the rim, Fort is a volume scorer and could be the team's leader in that category (oh, and he's an elite athlete), and Ugochukwu is there for the backup point guard role and he's a depth piece.
On Monday, however, he flashed something that fans may not have expected: elite athleticism.
In a post shared by Andrew Cumbow on X from Jeremy Fears Jr.'s Instagram, Ugochukwu can be seen throwing down a windmill with ease.
Michigan State PG Divine Ugochukwu with the dunk (via the Floor General’s IG). pic.twitter.com/72OTx5zFR8
— Andrew Cumbow (@ACumbow) June 9, 2025
Like I said, Ugochukwu made this look way too easy for how difficult it likely would be more 99% of people. He threw it down and had room to spare. Coen Carr has spoiled us into thinking this type of play is normal, but it's not.
Not only did Izzo land great athletes in Glenn and Fort, but Ugochukwu looks like he's a plus leaper who can cause problems for opposing defenses with his athleticism.
This might just be the most athletic team that Izzo has ever had.