Postseason Grades for Each MSU Frontcourt Piece
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The frontcourt for Michigan State is going to look different next season.
MSU is losing both starting power forward Jaxon Kohler and starting center Carson Cooper. There are other Spartans (and maybe a transfer or two) who will be looking to fill the vacancy left behind by Kohler and Cooper in the starting lineup, but we'll have to see how things shake out in the coming weeks as the opening of the transfer portal nears.
Michigan State's UConn-induced wound from the Sweet 16 is still a bit fresh, but now is a good time to look at all the forwards and centers who regularly played this season and hand out some grades. My grades for the team's guards can be found RIGHT HERE.
For some added context, these grades are based on a mixture of preseason expectations and overall production. The bar for Kohler should be harder for him to clear than, say, Cam Ward, just because Kohler was expected to have a larger role this season.
Carson Cooper: A
Cooper's development across his four seasons at MSU has been outstanding. Zero-star recruits aren't supposed to become defensive stalwarts, great rebounders, and a nice lob threat at the Big Ten level, but that's what Cooper became this season.
Cooper's scoring output jumped to 11.1 points per game from 5.0 the season prior, thanks to a reliable mid-range jumper and an improved jump hook, making him a much bigger threat offensively. Rebounds jumped to 7.1 per contest from 5.2. Cooper also had the best defensive box plus/minus (5.2) and defensive rating (100.3) on the team.
Jaxon Kohler: A-
Cooper's fellow senior big man also took a leap. Kohler jumped to 12.5 points per game this season from 7.8 points last year. The jump there was largely due to increased confidence in his three-point shot. Kohler's percentage stayed relatively flat (going from 37.3% to 38.9%), but his attempts per game tripled from 1.4 to 4.3.
Kohler was particularly effective earlier in the season, beginning his season with 17 straight double-digit scoring nights. He hit a midseason slump around mid-January, but recovered towards the end of the season to average 14.3 points and 8.3 rebounds across MSU's final seven games.
Coen Carr: B+
The most exciting player to watch in college basketball put together a nice season. Coen Carr became a starter for the first time this season as a junior, and his scoring jumped from 8.1 points per game to 12.0. That jump in scoring is nice, but Carr also showed significant improvement as a rebounder, passer, and defender. In between the loudest dunks in college hoops, you can see the other tools starting to take form.
What will be key for Carr's senior season is that three-point shot. He became a truly willing shooter for the first time this season, taking 2.2 threes per game, but they only connected at a 27.6% clip. Getting that number up 6-8 percentage points is the main obstacle between him and the NBA.
Cam Ward: B+
I liked what I saw with Ward this season, maybe more than most. The B-plus isn't quite as strong as Carr's, but it feels right to me. There is definitely some polishing that needs to happen on both ends of the court, but Ward's sheer energy on and off the court makes one think he'll become a great player at Michigan State.
Ward averaged 5.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game during his freshman season. Like Carr and Cooper, the next steps will be to develop more touch around the rim and a mid-range jump shot, and to hone in on free throws. Ward was also a bit susceptible to the foul bug, committing 5.1 fouls per 40 minutes this season.
Jesse McCulloch: C
Jesse McCulloch can also become a good player here. Any 6-foot-10 big man who can stretch the floor and is a decent rim protector has that type of potential. Through two seasons with the program with McCulloch, though, he hasn't yet carved out a solid spot in Michigan State's rotation. He redshirted last season and played only two of MSU's seven games in March this year, due to foul trouble at Michigan and during garbage time against North Dakota State.
I do hope McCulloch sticks it out, because I think he'll eventually get there. Redshirting can be tough for a player to accept, but that decision by Tom Izzo a season ago means he still has three more years of eligibility left now. He's got plenty of time to figure it out and develop.
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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