Share with TOC what you are wishing for this holiday season
Happy Christmahanukwanzaakah, TOC Nation. No matter what you celebrate this time of year, the one thing we all have in common is the ritual of giving gifts. And we all know the best presents are the ones that you ask for, am I right? So in that light, and since we have no MSU games all week to chat about, we, the TOC writers, have decided to share our holiday wish lists with you, and we ask that you share yours with us as well.
MIKE:
I want to see continued high effort, team-oriented, competitive, and entertaining MSU basketball – both men’s and women’s. Specifically on the men’s side, Izzo took a lot of heat on the Zapala transfer. He talked about still believing in the development of Kohler and Cooper and not giving all the NIL to some new guy. So far, it seems to be paying off as far as team chemistry and certainly Kohler’s improvement. I really want this to work out for Izzo because I really want to believe that believing in your guys and their ability to develop, along with targeted “our kind of guy” transfer additions can lead to success. In the Izzo era, I guess “success” means a Final Four. However, even if this team doesn’t make it that far, if they continue to improve, another Final Four run for Izzo before he’s done might not seem as far-fetched as it did at the end of last season.
Oh, and a natty in hockey would be nice.
And a college football world that makes sense would be good too but now we’re just doing crazy talk.
STEVE:
A Hockey Natty and terrible karmic things to happen to all weasel athletics.
BRIAN:
Each MSU sports team wins their conference / earns a ring / hangs a banner. Some teams are closer than others or have won recently though now face a tougher challenge with the West Coast schools in the fray – e.g. women’s soccer, XC, gymnastics. It would be awesome to see every squad competing at the top level and see some of the newer coaches really elevate their teams. BTW, Best of Luck to the new Volleyball Head Coach, Kristen Kelsay !
Two Nattys for the school in the respective seasons ahead – doesn’t matter which sports, though I’d be partial to Basketball and Hockey… and Football.
MSU Football being solidly in the top 25 next season (and part of the playoff conversation in ‘26) with healthy and deep lines on both sides of the ball.
The NCAA finds some balls, enforces a salary cap on NIL across schools by sport with reviewable exceptions for pre-existing or national (not-school-based) social media deals (e.g. LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne), and effectively bans NIL payment for recruits simply visiting a school and/or prohibits NIL in your first year at a school unless you were at your prior school for at least two participating seasons.
O:
I was going to ask for a national championship for Adam Nightingale, Trey Augustine, and the men’s hockey team, but my colleagues seem to have that covered, meaning I get to use that wish on something else.
Only one of my guys here asked for Tom Izzo to get his second NCAA crown, so I will put in for that as well and hope that we see that come April. But also some individual accomplishments from some of the players. I want Jaden Akins to average 20 PPG in Big Ten play and become a 1st round draft pick. I want Tre Holloman, Jase Richardson, Frankie Fidler, Jaxon Kohler, and Xavier Booker to all shoot above 30% on their three-point shots from now on. And I want to see Coen Carr break a backboard before the season is over, and hopefully in one of the games I am sitting on the baseline with my camera.
For the women’s hoops team, I want to see a top-three finish in the conference and a trip to the Elite Eight, or better.
I want to see some former SEC players from the portal make their way to East Lansing.
Oh, and I want the Detroit Lions to win the Super Bowl.
That’s it for us. Your turn to share. Whatever it is you wish for this holiday season, I hope SanTOC Claus brings it to you. Happy holidays everyone!