How Kevin Guskiewicz Just Raised MSU Basketball's Ceiling

Kevin Guskiewicz is returning as school president, and it is helping the Spartans have a higher ceiling than before.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Spartans are trying to chase a National Championship this season after falling flat in the Sweet 16 last year against the UConn Huskies, and they have been working hard to prepare.

They have been examining the harsh realities of the offseason and the troubles they bring, while also doing their best to bring out the stars hidden in younger players who didn't get extensive time on the court last year.

Team Faygo and Michigan State’s Cam Ward Scores against Team Tri-Star during the Moneyball Pro-Am on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at Holt High School. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

But amid all of that, there has been a looming issue the basketball team has had no control over: the situation involving the school president, Kevin Guskiewicz, and the athletic director, J Batt.

Both were planning to leave Michigan State, which would have caused a whole lot of chaos across all sports programs, especially if coach Tom Izzo had gotten riled up. Yet the president has declared that he is staying, and that singlehandedly raises the team's ceiling this year.

Why the Ceiling Is Higher

Legendary Michigan State University men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo is also one of the greatest male athletes to hail from the Upper Peninsula. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

• While the change would not have affected the team's players in a major way, it certainly would have affected the locker room, among other things, because of the aforementioned Izzo.

• He was furious that both the president and athletic director were planning on leaving the university, and with him investing his opinion into the chaos, and even having his name thrown into the mix of potential replacements, a good portion of his attention would have been on matters of the school's chaos, not the team.

Tom Izzo, MSU's basketball coach, gets the crowd of over 9,000 people going at the Izzo Run/Walk/Roll, 5K event Sunday, April 26, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

• He would still have been coaching the team strongly, yes, but it would not be at the level that the Spartans desperately need to actually make it past the Sweet 16 this year.

• After all, they got knocked out because of some sloppy plays that Izzo was fighting to clean up, and they eventually did clean up enough to make the game really close, and only a fully invested Izzo can push the team like that.

What Could Make It Even Better

Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Michigan head basketball coach Tom Izzo and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores talk during a time out in the first half of the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• The biggest thing that could make this even better for the Spartans, in terms of reducing the chaos the school is going through and therefore helping Izzo and the team, is to convince Batt to return as the athletic director.

• Right now, it could be a possibility, but only time will tell whether Batt actually decides to stay with the school for longer. After Guskiewicz announced he was staying in East Lansing, Batt reaffirmed his pledge to the University of Kentucky. It seems unlikely either side will back out now.