Despite landing a 7-foot-2 transfer center last week, Michigan State fans are still hopeful that Carson Cooper could get a fifth year and decide to return to East Lansing for one more season.
Obviously Tom Izzo has to feel better about his center spot with Anton Bonke committing last week, but he could really solidify the position with the return of Cooper for another season. Cooper really is the perfect fit for what Michigan State needs at center minus a bit of floor-stretching ability. He can be the perfect pick-and-roll center for Jeremy Fearas Jr. while Bonke can be a pick-and-pop guy.
The Spartans could have the best of both worlds with a 7-foot-2 center who can step out to hit the occasional three and who has NBA aspirations as well as a 7-footer who knows the system and excels on the defense end and is an elite lob threat.
Would it be necessary to add another 7-footer? I don’t think having too many 7-footers is ever an issue, especially when teams like Michigan are starting three guys who stand 6-foot-9 or taller.
I don’t think Izzo would ever tell Cooper “no thanks” if he wanted to return. It would crowd the center room with Ethan Taylor and Jesse McCulloch. In that scenario, I could see McCulloch playing more of a power forward role and Taylor playing minimally at center as he goes through a major growth year — plus, a new five-year eligibility window could allow for more flexibility for Taylor.
Unfortunately, the idea of a fifth year for Cooper isn’t looking likely thanks to a recent recommendation by the NCAA president.
According to Pete Thamel, NCAA President Charlie Baker told ESPN that he’s pretty optimistic about the five-year eligibility proposal being passed, but he and the D1 Board of Directors are recommending that the new rule not be implemented retroactively for seniors and those who exhausted current eligibility.
That’s the worst possible news for Cooper’s return.
What this means for Carson Cooper
Although it hasn’t been decided yet, the fact that the president of the NCAA is recommending that the rule not be implemented retroactively likely shoots down the notion of that free fifth year.
The current senior class is unfortunately looking like it’s going to miss out on this new updated eligibility window. Guys like Cooper and Tre Holloman who were considering a fifth year now have to draw up another plan. They could apply for a waiver through the NCAA, but I’m going to assume that most of them will be denied based on the new proposed rule.
The vote still needs to happen and this is just a recommendation and not locked in to the new proposal, so there’s still a chance that Cooper could get a fifth year.
However, this isn’t the update that any Spartan fan was hoping for.
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