Why Anton Bonke Can Fit Cooper Role Well for MSU

Bonke and Cooper have some important similarities on the court.

Nov 28, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; Davidson Wildcats forward Sean Logan (15) dribbles as Providence Friars center Anton Bonke (5) defends during the first half at the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Tom Izzo definitely wanted one more season of Carson Cooper.

Michigan State's head coach said this past season that he regretted not redshirting Cooper when he was a freshman. That would've given Cooper another year of eligibility and filled MSU's starting spot at center next season.

Michigan State's Carson Cooper walks to the bench after a timeout against Louisville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the KeyBank Center on Saturday, March 21, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Landing on Bonke

Izzo needed to find somebody with some similarities to the senior-year version of Cooper in the transfer portal. That's a big man who can move around pretty well on the perimeter, stretch the defense at least a little bit, defend ball screens the way he teaches it, can rebound well, and play with a satisfactory level of effort.

Anton Bonke checks a ton of the boxes. He's going to be a true senior this coming season, so it's a shorter-term commitment of one or two seasons, depending on how NCAA eligibility rules may change.

Feb 8, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Sincere Parker (23) shoots the ball against Charlotte 49ers center Anton Bonke (49) during the first half at FedExForum. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Minor Differences

One big thing that Bonke will provide that Cooper didn't is the threat he poses from three. Bonke shot a three-pointer per game last season and made them at a 34.2% clip. Cooper was probably an offseason away from getting the green light to shoot open looks, but, again, the clock ran out because he wasn't redshirted as a freshman.

Bonke is also bigger. He's taller than anybody in MSU history, actually, standing at 7'2" and 260 pounds, according to what Charlotte had him listed as. Cooper was 6'11" and 245 pounds last season.

Nov 9, 2024; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Providence Friars center Anton Bonke (5) warms up before a game against the Stonehill Skyhawks at Amica Mutual Pavilion. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The Overlap

There might be times when it still seems like Cooper is with the Spartans. Bonke probably won't replace Cooper's production with Michigan State 1-to-1, but MSU is going to be asking Bonke to do a lot of the things Cooper did.

Pick-and-rolls are commonplace in East Lansing. The retention of Jeremy Fears Jr. at point guard will only help this. Cooper was Fears' favorite lob target after Coen Carr. Bonke will fill right in as a guy who can convert an alley-oop while rolling to the rim.

Feb 8, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Charlotte 49ers center Anton Bonke (49) handles the ball against Memphis Tigers forward Aaron Bradshaw (11) during the first half at FedExForum. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

On the other end, Bonke moves around well enough to defend other screens the way Izzo wants them defended. Cooper would hedge opposing ball screens all the time. The tough part is staying close enough to the big man to prevent a lob, but not so close that his teammates cannot recover.

It's a delicate balance that doesn't make tons of bigs a great fit. That's why you don't see a ton of huge, cement-footed big men play for Izzo. Bonke didn't really defend those screens the same way at Charlotte, but he can easily project to succeed in the new system at MSU.

Michigan State's Carson Cooper defends UCLA's Tyler Bilodeau during a Big Ten Tournament game at the United Center on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI