Fansided

Michigan State basketball: Spartans land coveted high-scoring transfer

By Mike Phillips

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 17: Tyson Walker #2 of the Northeastern Huskies looks to pass as he drives against Kerwin Walton #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on February 17, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 82-62. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 17: Tyson Walker #2 of the Northeastern Huskies looks to pass as he drives against Kerwin Walton #24 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on February 17, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 82-62. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Michigan State basketball landed a huge commitment for next season with the addition of Northeastern transfer Tyson Walker.

It feels weird for the Michigan State Spartans to already be out of March Madness but Tom Izzo managed to score a huge win off the court today. Sophomore point guard Tyson Walker, one of the most coveted guards in the transfer portal, announced his plans to commit to the Spartans.

Walker, who spent the past two years at Northeastern, emerged as a star for the Huskies this season. A 6-foot guard from Long Island, Walker averaged 18.8 points per game and 4.8 assists a night for Northeastern while establishing himself as a reliable perimeter defender, winning the CAA’s Defensive Player of the Year award this season and making the All-CAA first team.

One of Walker’s best performances last season came in an impromptu non-conference matchup against North Carolina where he scored 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting in Chapel Hill. Northeastern also didn’t do a ton with Walker on the court, going 27-25 over his two seasons as a member of the Huskies, making him a high-profile candidate in the transfer portal.

https://twitter.com/TysonWalker13/status/1375840191273836545?s=20

Michigan State topped some big-name schools to land Walker

Michigan State topped Kansas, Maryland, Miami and Vanderbilt to secure Walker’s commitment. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reports that Walker credited his decision due to a strong relationship formed with Izzo over Zoom sessions and phone calls, allowing him to take a crack at filling the massive shoes Cassius Winston left after he graduated a year ago.

The Spartans struggled to replace Winston this season, cycling through players like Rocket Watts, Foster Loyer and A.J. Hoggard at the point. Walker should be an upgrade over that trio and joins incoming freshman Jaden Akins to give Izzo a much better situation at point guard.

Joshua Langford is gone while Aaron Henry is a strong possibility to jump to the NBA, making the addition of Walker a huge boost to Michigan State’s 2021-22 roster. Landing this kind of player just raised the potential upside of that group considerably.

20 biggest upsets in the history of March Madness. dark. Next

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion, and features check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.