It's been a busy offseason for Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo.
When the Hall of Fame head coach hasn't been dealing with transfers out of the program, he's been looking to secure commitments from portal players of his own -- while also acting as a co-athletic director after Alan Haller was let go. He's been living in the portal more than he had in recent years and it's yielded three commitments.
The latest of the three transfers was Miami guard Divine Ugochukwu who may have just rounded out the roster for 2025-26, filling a hole behind Jeremy Fears Jr. as the backup point guard.
A lot of fans were unsure of how to feel about landing the Miami guard who averaged 20.1 minutes per game as a true freshman for the 7-24 Hurricanes who finished in last place in the ACC, especially because of his 17 percent 3-point shooting clip, but highlight videos came out that eased some minds.
Then Fears Jr. gave his endorsement of the addition, calling Ugochukwu a steal.
You love to see the one player who will be working most closely with Ugochukwu calling him a steal and welcoming him to the team. Fears Jr. is going to be instrumental in the young Miami transfer's growth and you just know Izzo is trusting his "Floor General" to lead him and help him develop into a legitimate piece to the championship puzzle.
The shooting touch may need some work but his form isn't bad. He will correct that this offseason and he really only needs to play 10-15 minutes per game to give Fears a break.
This addition may have seemed "underwhelming" but when the team's starting point guard is excited about the addition, calling it a steal, you have to trust the process.