Everyone knew something was going to change during the offseason for Michigan State basketball. Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper both exhausted their eligibility and both have moved on. So, it was a must for Tom Izzo to go get a big in the portal.
So, he did, and that's what led Anton Bonke to choosing the Spartans back in April. That's obviously old news now but let's dig a little deeper into why Bonke fits well into the MSU family.
First off, he's tall and has the muscle and size to go with it. He can scorer around the rim, and has the ability to rebound. That's Izzo ball. Being good at rebounding is going to get you your shot for the Spartans.
Obviously it was quite shocking when Izzo spoke about Bonke, when most of the time he doesn't usually speak about new additions at least until the fall. But it feels like Bonke is a different story. In fact Izzo wasn't really sure, the Spartans were going to get him given the interest around the country.
Izzo made appearance on the Drive with Jack Ebling Radio show to talk about Bonke a couple days after he made his announcement official.
"We just think this kid has a little bit of everything" Izzo said. "He's tough, he's got size, he can shoot a three... We feel that we got ourselves a very good player that is going to really help us."
No kidding about the size. He sets an MSU record at his 7-2 height, as the tallest player in school history. The Spartans have had plenty of memorable 6-11 and 7-0 players. They needed to get a player of this size, with how many giants the rest of the Big Ten has.
Izzo thinks the world of Bonke, and so should Spartan fans. I get it many are not fully sold on it, but the asking price for other bigs obviously wasn't worth it.
Bonke is a Spartan and now Izzo can say he has a payer from the Island of Vanuatu.
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