Will Michigan State Basketball have the best walk-ons for 2021-22 season?

This has been a unique off-season for Michigan State Basketball and Izzo with multiple players transferring out of the program, a commitment from a highly sought-after mid-major player, and one of the assistant coaches leaving for another Big Ten program. Let’s take a look at three walk-on student-athletes who look to play basketball with the Spartans next season.

Peter Nwoke

Academic Scholarship

Basketball Walk-On

Nwoke is an amazing young man with even a more remarkable story. He did have a basketball scholarship before the pandemic hit and he has a 4.2 GPA and has many academic scholarships offered to him. He is a six-foot-eight power forward who grew up playing soccer and has only played basketball since coming to America in 2017. He will have time to develop and he has many dreams and aspirations on and off of the court.

https://twitter.com/peternw0ke/status/1388178640853258243?s=20

Keon Coleman

Football Scholarship

Basketball Walk-On

Coleman out of all of the basketball walk-ons appeared to have the most interest in playing basketball and was offered basketball scholarships and high interest in playing the sport after high school. He has a ton of potential in football as evident by his many football scholarship offers from big-time programs.

The option of playing basketball and football appeared to be a major factor in him choosing Michigan State and he is determined to succeed in both. Former Michigan State football legend Andre Rison played basketball and found success on the court in 1987 and maybe Coleman can even have more success than those football/basketball players that came before him.

Maliq Carr

Football Scholarship

Basketball Walk-On

Had multiple division one scholarship offers but took a football scholarship at Purdue before transferring to Michigan State. Carr was a highly ranked football recruit out of high school. Basketball runs in his family as his mother led Tennessee to a national championship in 1991 and his father is an assistant basketball coach at Missouri. Carr has the potential to become the next Matt Trannon who has success in both football and basketball at Michigan State.

Other Michigan State basketball walk-on expected to be on the Michigan State basketball roster next season is Davis Smith whose father was a former Michigan State basketball legend and NBA great Steve Smith and Steven Izzo whose father is the head coach of the Spartans.

Michigan State has a long history of success with basketball walk-ons under the leadership of coach Izzo. One former basketball walk-on Mat Ishbia just donated 32 million to the university and other walk-ons like Kenny Goins started as a non-scholarship student-athlete but would end up not only earning a scholarship but starting for Michigan State as a senior.

The tradition of former basketball walk-ons having success on and off the court will look to continue with Nwoke, Coleman, and Carr in 2021.