Michigan State Men's Basketball Trails Behind in the Race to Sign Trey Townsend

Oakland transfer forward Trey Townsend has other schools on his agenda at the moment.

Oakland Golden Grizzly forward Trey Townsend recently entered his name in the transfer portal.

Townsend is one of the more targeted players in the portal and has many offers and potential landing spots. He averaged 17.3 points per game and 8.1 rebounds this past season, winning the Horizon League Player of the Year. That followed an impressive sophomore season, in which he averaged 16.5 points and 7.6 rebounds.

After Townsend's impressive performance that helped will Oakland to its upset over Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, his stock went higher.

Excitement arose for Spartan fans when Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo reached out to Townsend about visiting East Lansing. After losing Malik Hall at the forward position, there's no doubt that the Spartans need help, and Townsend would certainly help in that field. Unfortunately for Izzo, his team and the Spartan community, Townsend has already been on multiple visits and has begun considering other schools to play at for his senior season.

On Monday, Joe Tipton of On3 reported Townsend scheduled three official visits for April: Arizona, Ohio State and Louisville. Arizona, being a two-seed in this year's tournament and a contender for the national championship, is likely in the top segment of Townsend's list, but if Izzo wants a shot at filling the hole left by Hall, Townsend is the guy to do the job.

Townsend had also recently completed a visit with Michigan.

Perhaps a visit from Townsend wasn't as high on Michigan State's list of priorities as some may have assumed.

Could Izzo be targeting another forward instead? Frankie Fidler, forward from Omaha, has been posting tweets that seem to show he likes Michigan State, writing, "MSU, What's up???" This is good news for the Spartans as Fidler cuts his list down to Creighton, Nebraska, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Whether or not Michigan State pursues Fidler or Townsend, both would make a perfect fit on the roster. Fidler seems a little more interested in Michigan State and Michigan State seems more interested in Fidler, but only time will tell what Izzo plans to do.

The Michigan State Spartan Football "Spring Showcase" will be held at the High Cathedral of the Spartan Nation, Spartan Stadium, on April 20, 2024, at 2 p.m.

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