Lansing Sun

Michigan State head men's basketball coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans began their first practice of the 2024-25 season on Monday afternoon in East Lansing, Michigan.

Before the team's second practice, Izzo spoke with the media for 20 minutes in the theatre at the men's basketball offices. "This is a little more informal than most opening days because we opened yesterday, and it's so different now. It used to be Midnight Madness and now we have a new way of looking at things," Izzo said. "The other part that's different is we went to Spain (in August). Seems like we've been practicing forever. The good news is, I like my team. The first official day was good. Today is day two."

The Spartans bring back three players who started last year, including senior guard Jaden Akins, who averaged 10.4 points per game and was the only player to start all 35 games. Additionally, MSU has added forward Frankie Fidler and center Szymon Zapala as transfers, along with a freshman class ranked among the top-20 nationally.

Last season, Michigan State ended with a 20-15 record and tied for sixth place in the Big Ten Conference. They made it to the NCAA Tournament for the 26th consecutive season, which is both the longest streak in Big Ten history and currently active nationwide.

The team had an early start this season with a 10-day trip to Spain where they visited Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona while playing three games against European teams.

"In that Spain trip, I thought we played pretty well," Izzo noted. "It was hard to get a feel because I had so many guys that I wanted to play, so I kept guys from 12 to 20 minutes. Most guys played from 16 to 20 minutes which means you get to see a lot of people; you don't get as good of a flow."

"There were some highlights over there. Jaxon Kohler played very well. (Jeremy) Fears was not 100 percent but I think 95 percent back. (Xavier) Booker in one game had 19 in the first half. I don't think I've ever had a player with 19 in the first half," he added.

The Spartans will play two exhibition games starting on Sunday, Oct. 13 against Northern Michigan—marking Coach Tom Izzo's first visit to his alma mater as head coach since graduating from Northern Michigan in 1977—and then facing Ferris State on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at Breslin Center.

Michigan State will officially open its regular season on Monday, Nov. 4 by hosting Monmouth at Breslin Center.