About a year ago around this time, Tre Holloman made one of the most shocking decisions of any Michigan State basketball player in recent memory. Holloman decided to enter the transfer portal, leaving what could have been an elite legacy in East Lansing behind.
Holloman had become a fan favorite at Michigan State not only for his play, but he was known as a guy who just didn’t take anything from anyone and embodied the Spartan attitude.
Tre was tough, and Michigan State fans loved him for that.
Despite a massive looming role as Michigan State’s starting two with Jaden Akins and Jase Richardson leaving, Holloman decided to head to NC State to play for Will Wade who reportedly promised him a different role in the first-year head coach’s new system.
Rumors were that Holloman wanted more of a ball-handling role with more point guard minutes, and Wade was willing to promise him that at NC State.
It was clear pretty early on that the role he was promised was not going to hold up. He essentially slid back into that same two-guard role he had as a junior at Michigan State, and his numbers didn’t improve at all. We all knew that he made a mistake by leaving Tom Izzo, a Hall of Famer, to play for a known snake oil salesman in Wade.
Now, Wade is reportedly leaving NC State after one season to return to LSU, proving that Holloman made a huge mistake by trusting a guy who only cared about himself instead of a Hall of Famer.
The news of Wade’s departure was not a good look for Holloman.
Tre Holloman’s senior year could’ve gone drastically different
Holloman’s senior season under Wade did not go as planned as he saw his minutes only increase by 2.5 from his season as a Big Ten champion and backup two-guard. He also averaged just 0.1 points more and saw his assist and rebound numbers drop. His shooting numbers were better, but at what cost?
Holloman would have developed into a knockdown shooter in East Lansing much like every single player on the Spartans’ roster did this year. We saw Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr, Jeremy Fears Jr., and Kur Teng all improve their shots this season, and that would’ve been Holloman, too.
Plus, Michigan State needed more help at the two, which means that Holloman likely would have played around 30 minutes per game and would’ve been relied heavily on offense.
NC State didn’t rely much on him this season as he only averaged 9.2 points.
If he stayed and played this season for the Spartans, Michigan State probably wins one of those two Michigan matchups and has a chance in the Big Ten title race. The Spartans probably get a 2-seed and Holloman is starting at the two for one of the national title favorites. Instead, he’s sitting at home, watching his former program in the Sweet 16, knowing darn well that he could’ve helped a Final Four push.
Michigan State will now attempt to do it without him.