Does this addition to MSU’s basketball team change your expectations?
On Tuesday of this past week, Tom Izzo went back into the transfer portal to grab Szymon Zapala. It was a fairly quick recruitment, as the first time most of us fans heard about MSU’s interest in him was a day earlier. It was very much unlike the names that Izzo was pursuing earlier in the offseason like Frankie Fidler and Trey Townsend where the rumor mill worked for a couple weeks before we finally got those decisions.
As you know by now, Zapala started his college career at Utah State where he was mostly insignificant, and then he moved to Longwood University (which is in Farmville, Virginia, in case you were wondering) where he received more playing time but still was not playing twenty minutes a game. He averaged 9.8 PPG and 5.6 RPG. He shot 62.9% on FGs and, for what it’s worth, he made two of his three triples on the season.
Rather than me doing another article where I project the rotation of next year’s team, I am going to open it up to you with a series of questions. And I am doing that because I will simply say that his addition to the team does not move the needle for me at all. I believe he will be the fifth man in the front court rotation as I am not sure he even leaps over incoming freshman Jesse McCullough. So let’s get to your thoughts.
Zapala’s addition puts MSU at the limit with 13 scholarship players, meaning there can be no more additions. Do we have any buyer’s remorse?
My projection is that Carson Cooper starts at center with Jesse McCullough as his primary backup. I believe Xavier Booker will start at power forward and Jaxon Kohler will be his substitute. If there are any minutes left over, I think that is where Zapala goes. Let’s see if you agree.
There are still some questions to be answered regarding next year’s team, probably most importantly being the health of Jeremy Fears and how he comes back from the gunshot wound (physically and mentally). Even without knowing that, let’s gauge the optimism for next season.
Let’s hear your thoughts. What are your projections for the team now that we know the roster. What do you expect from Zapala? What kind of stats will he contribute? Looking forward to reading your predictions. Less than six months until we start getting these answers.