MSU's Izzo Comments Again on Tre Holloman's Past Portal Decision

The fact that Tre Holloman played for another school besides Michigan State still feels a bit weird.

From now on, he'll be the "yeah, but" whenever one tries to think about which players could be back next season. His departure for NC State means that anyone can leave for somewhere else. It didn't make much sense then, and it still doesn't make much sense now.

What Izzo Said

Michigan State's Tom Izzo smiles from the bench during a game against Maryland at the Breslin Center on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

"Usually, when people leave here, it's because they graduated," Tom Izzo said on The Drive with Jack, hosted by Jack Ebling, on Friday. "And Jase [Richardson], we didn't predict that he'd go [after one season], and yet it worked out great for him. And of course, we lost another one that we had no idea would [leave], and I think both parties lost out on that."

You don't need to read between the lines too much to know that's about Holloman. The Spartans also saw Xavier Booker transfer to UCLA and Gehrig Normand go to Santa Clara, but both of those decisions felt much more mutual. Booker was a starter for the Bruins this year, while Normand missed the entire season due to injury.

Holloman's Season at NCSU

Jan 24, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; NC State Wolfpack guard Tre Holloman (5) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

One part of what has made Holloman's choice more baffling is that there hasn't been a tangible increase in his role. Holloman almost certainly would have been Michigan State's starting two-guard this past season if he had remained with the school.

Instead, Holloman got that role on a worse team and left a positive legacy at MSU behind. In exchange, Holloman received an increase of just 2.5 minutes per game from his junior year in East Lansing to his senior year with the Wolfpack. That came with a nearly identical scoring output (9.1 to 9.2 points per game), fewer shots per game (8.2 to 6.8), and fewer assists per game (3.7 to 2.1).

Michigan State felt like it was a Tre Holloman away from being even better this season, too. Inconsistency at the two was one of the biggest things that plagued the Spartans in 2025-26, with Trey Fort falling a bit short of expectations after transferring in from Samford to replace him.

Holloman being on the roster would've given MSU a much-needed wing shooter whom it could rely on to knock down a three or two. He made at least one three-pointer in 24 of the 32 games he played in during N.C. State's season. His 51 made threes, at a rate of 40%, would've ranked third on Michigan State this season.