Carson Cooper saved his best for the final night of Summer League.
The former Michigan State big man turned in a strong offensive showing Sunday evening, even as the Memphis Grizzlies came up short in the NBA Summer League championship game, falling to the Golden State Warriors 94-90. Cooper was on the floor for a matchup that also featured Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, but it was Cooper who made the clearest impression in Memphis’ last game of the event.
Coming off a few quieter outings, Cooper answered with what was easily his most productive offensive performance of the Summer League. He finished with 16 points, two steals and one rebound in just 17 minutes off the bench, giving the Grizzlies a burst of scoring when they needed it. He was averaging nearly a point per minute, and while the rebounding and shot-blocking numbers didn’t jump off the page, he made his impact on the other end.
That was reflected in the plus-minus as well. Cooper posted a +5, second-best on the team behind only Cedric Coward, who finished at +7 and went a perfect 5-for-5 from three. For Memphis, it was another reminder of how useful Cooper can be when he’s playing with energy and making quick decisions.
The expectation now is that Cooper will head to the G-League to start the 2026-27 season, but Sunday felt like one more strong argument for his place in the organization. He didn’t get to walk away with a title, but he did give Memphis plenty to like in what may have been his final Summer League appearance before that next step.
And the case for Cooper goes beyond one hot night. He has the kind of profile teams keep betting on: coachable, quick to pick things up, athletic, relentless, and smart with the ball. He brings size, has added an occasional jumper, and fits naturally in pick-and-roll action.
Memphis also has other young centers in the mix, led by Zach Edey, but Cooper offers something different. Edey is more of a back-you-down scoring presence who can draw fouls; Cooper leans more toward defense and running the floor in transition. That contrast matters, and it helps explain why the Grizzlies saw enough to give him a two-way contract.
There’s still room for Cooper to grow, especially on the glass and as a rim protector. But the offensive progress has been real, and the Grizzlies are about to see more of it in the G-League. If this Summer League was any indication, it wouldn’t be a surprise if his first real breakout moment at the NBA level comes sooner rather than later.
In Other News...
MSU May Be Zeroing In On A Familiar AD Candidate
As Michigan State works through its athletic director search, one name that keeps surfacing is Dan Bartholomae, the current AD at Western Michigan. Bartholomae has built a reputation in Kalamazoo as a steady department leader with a willingness to make hard calls, and his rsum also includes time as an executive deputy AD and chief operating officer at Oregon State, giving him a broader Power 5 background than many candidates in this mix.
The appeal for MSU is obvious: Bartholomae has shown he can manage change and help push a department forward, which is exactly the kind of profile schools tend to chase in a search like this. The wrinkle is that he is under contract at WMU through 2031, so any serious pursuit would have to navigate a significant buyout, even with Kentucky buyout money potentially helping offset the cost. [Read more 🡒]
AJ Hoggard Just Gave Michigan State Fans That Same Old Feeling
AJ Hoggard has been easy for Michigan State fans to remember because he always seemed to bring the same blend of poise, vision and frustration. He was a valuable playmaker in East Lansing, the kind of guard who could organize an offense and keep teammates involved, but his college run also came with the kind of scoring swings that never let him settle into one clean storyline.
Now, after finishing his college career at Vanderbilt and getting a look in NBA Summer League with Toronto, Hoggard is still searching for that next level of consistency. The passing touch is still there, and so is the feel that made him such a familiar presence for the Spartans, but the shot has remained the part of his game that keeps the bigger question open as he tries to carve out a professional role. [Read more 🡒]