Tre Holloman’s path has taken another sharp turn, and this one lands him at Grand Canyon.
The former Michigan State guard committed to Grand Canyon on Thursday evening, choosing a new stop that few would have seen coming when he was still helping the Spartans climb to the top of the Big Ten.
Not that long ago, Holloman was in a completely different spot. About a year and a half ago, he was a junior point guard on a Michigan State team that had just won its first Big Ten title since COVID. He was also a trusted sixth man on a team with legitimate national title hopes, and he had become a fan favorite after defending the Spartan logo during Senior Day against Michigan.
That moment earned him even more goodwill with Tom Izzo, who allowed Holloman to kiss the floor with the seniors during the post-game festivities for his role in defending their honor. At the time, everything looked lined up for him in East Lansing.
Then came the transfer decision.
Holloman entered the portal in a move that stunned plenty of people, especially because he was about to step into a starting shooting guard role for the reigning Big Ten champions. That opportunity never came. He later committed to Will Wade and NC State, a move that did not work out the way he likely hoped.
Now he has been granted a fifth year of eligibility by a Colorado judge, and Grand Canyon will be the place he uses it. It is a jarring career arc: Michigan State to NC State to Grand Canyon in the span of two years.
The fit could still make sense on the floor. Grand Canyon came up short of expectations in 2025-26 and missed the NCAA Tournament, but the Antelopes are expected to be one of the favorites in the Mountain West this season.
Still, the larger story is how quickly things changed for Holloman. He once looked like a perfect Tom Izzo player, one of those OKG types who seemed built to stay in the fold. Instead, he took a path that has now put him at his third school in three seasons.
Holloman himself has acknowledged that he could have had it all at Michigan State. He also took a subtle shot at Izzo by essentially saying it was nice to have a coach in Wade who finally believed in him.
Late in the season, Izzo received texts from an ex-player who said he regretted transferring, and many assumed Holloman was the one on the other end. That seemed like a reasonable guess, and probably was.
Holloman later returned to East Lansing for a couple of Moneyball games and said he would be open to coming back, but Michigan State no longer had room for him.
A year and a half ago, he was the kind of player Spartans fans adored. Now he’s headed to a new program for one last ride, with Grand Canyon becoming the latest stop in a very unexpected journey.
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