MSU Basketball’s Secret Offensive Weapon Set to Alleviate Pressure
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HOLT, Mich. --- Michigan State was operating without one of its key pieces every single game last season.
Last June, MSU's Kaleb Glenn tore his patellar tendon in his right knee. He was considered the Spartans' most exciting transfer portal addition at the time; he averaged 12.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 41% from behind the arc.
Glenn's Road Back
This year's Moneyball Pro-Am has been the first real public preview for Spartan fans to see Glenn in action. He's played quite well through the first two weeks of action at Holt High School; his 116 total points (29.0 points per game) rank fourth on the team.
"It feels good," Glenn told Spartan Nation on Thursday. "I've been playing a lot for a little bit now with the scout team, but to play in front of people, it feels good."
Glenn seemed relatively close to a theoretical return at the end of last season. He was helping lead the scout team for Michigan State and was participating in pregame warm-ups. Glenn says he "probably" could have played this past March physically, but there is a mental factor in trusting one's body again after a major injury, and he also says there was still a way to go.
"Coming off something brutal like that, you've definitely got to take your time," Glenn said. "Your mind is going to be off. You've got to get your movements and all that stuff back, because, you know, it's your knee: it's an important part of your body. When you're off of it for six months, it's pretty hard."
Glenn says he still doesn't feel like he's all the way back, either. Most of that is on the mental side of things, but he's expressing confidence that he'll be all the way back by the time the season begins in late October.
"I feel like I'm trusting my body a little bit more," Glenn said. "Still got a couple more ways to go, and then I'll be there. But, you know, it's only July. As long as I'm feeling good coming into October, that's all that matters."
The physical side of things has been a big success, though. Glenn credits the work he's done with Dr. Lorenzo Guess, the team's Director of Athletic Performance, and Nicholas Richey, the team's trainer. Glenn now says he's stronger than he was before his injury last summer.
MSU had a Glenn-shaped hole in its rotation last season. His return is going to be a boost for the Spartans, and it is a reason there is so much preseason hype and momentum surrounding the program right now.
What to Expect from Glenn
One big program Michigan State had last season was the fact that Jeremy Fears Jr. was really the only player truly "creating" offense. Everything had to run through MSU's point guard, and as good as Fears is, an offense can only be so effective when so much is placed on one player's shoulders.
Fear's assist rate of 53.1% was more than seven percentage points higher than anybody else in the country. Glenn is one of several secondary creators that the Spartans will now have this season. He's not considered a passer like Fears is, but Glenn can score at three different levels and can do it by himself.
He won't necessarily need a pass from Fears or anybody else to get to the basket and generate offense for Michigan State. This is a huge reason why Glenn's injury was such a big loss for MSU. His shooting from behind the arc is a huge plus, but having somebody in the frontcourt as offensively versatile as Glenn is huge.
His presence on the court is the type of thing that can cause mismatches to be formed, which is part of how Michigan State is going to get its points this season. Offensive improvement is one of the keys for the Spartans to be a national title contender.
Recent history says you need a top-10 offense on KenPom to seriously contend for a national championship, and MSU's No. 23 finish last season was the program's best in the last six years. Having Glenn should help jump-start Michigan State's offense a lot.
He's not the only big, new offensive piece, though. Bringing along Carlos Medlock Jr. and Jasiah Jervis in the 2026 recruiting class also gives MSU more ball-handling and some additional star potential. Glenn should've been a big part of the Spartans last season, and he's a big part of this year's team that maybe a few people have forgotten about.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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