A New Face Could Anchor NC State’s Backcourt This Season

RALEIGH — Wolfpack men's basketball is on the rise under first-year head coach Will Wade. After coming over from McNeese, Wade put together a loaded roster with transfer talent and younger players to make good on a promise to be competitive right out of the gate.

If NC State wants to have any success in the 2025-26 season, it will need reliable point guard play. While McNeese transfer Quadir Copeland offers Wade a versatile option as the team's lead distributor, another player looks like he might be the top point guard.

Michigan State transfer Tre Holloman already started at the position at one of the nation's most revered programs under a coach in Tom Izzo, who has produced more productive point guards than can be counted.

Leading the Spartans

Holloman spent three years with Izzo in East Lansing, slowly working his way to a starting role with the Spartans. By the 2024-25 season, the guard earned his coach's trust enough to start 16 of 37 games for Michigan State, helping lead the program to an Elite Eight appearance in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

In 23.1 minutes per game, Holloman averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game. He averaged a little over one turnover per game and proved to be a tremendous lob partner for dynamic forward Coen Carr, considered by many to be the best dunker in the nation. The guard made 48 threes for the Spartans, proving himself as a solid, but not strong, 3-point threat.

Joining the Pack

Following the Spartans' Elite Eight run, Holloman sought out different opportunities. Wade, in need of another distributor for his new roster, jumped at the chance to add an impact player from one of the strongest programs in the country. Having played for a rabid basketball crowd at Michigan State, Holloman knows what it means to play for a program with significant tradition and expectations.

"The fan base is counting on us, man. When we go to football games or when we go out to eat, we see State fans everywhere,'" Holloman said. "I'm just grateful to be here and I know what it takes."

I can’t say enough good things about Tre Holloman this morning. This 5 minute stretch is just incredible. What a player. What a leader. We are so lucky to have him. #OKG pic.twitter.com/Qu9oDsvIXJ
— W.R. (@WRswagdaddy) February 22, 2025

Fitting with the Team

Since joining the Wolfpack, Holloman has found ways to work with his new backcourt partner in Copeland.

"Quadir is a 6-6, 6-7 PG who can see the game differently from me. I just try to learn different moves from him because he's a bigger guard," Holloman said.

Mar 30, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Tre Holloman (5) yells to teammates during the first half in the South Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament against the Auburn Tigers at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Holloman believes his game improved throughout the offseason, with some of those benefits coming from his work alongside Copeland. Assuming the veteran guard can build upon his career-best season from a year ago, the Wolfpack should be in good shape at the point guard position.

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