Michigan State’s Anton Bonke is spending part of his offseason on an international stage.
The 7-foot-2 big man was officially named to the Netherlands national team on Tuesday, giving him a shot to play in the European FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. The timing is tight, with the Netherlands set to face Germany on Aug. 27 in its first second-round game.
Bonke, who was born in the Netherlands, now gets another chance to sharpen his game before the NCAA season begins. The Dutch are in a group with Latvia, Israel, Poland and Croatia, and the second round of qualifying will unfold across windows in August, November and February.
Those windows matter. Europe will be trimmed from 24 teams to 12 by February ahead of the World Cup 2027, which is scheduled for next August and September in Qatar. It’s early in the process, but Bonke gives the Netherlands a big body it can use.
How his schedule unfolds after this first window remains to be seen, especially with the November and February dates still ahead. Tom Izzo has not had to deal with a player leaving to represent his country overseas for the World Cup qualifiers, and that likely won’t be an issue here either.
For now, Bonke gets the chance to suit up for his country before the season starts.
Several Spartans are getting that kind of summer experience.
Bonke is the third Michigan State basketball player on the 2026-27 roster to represent his country this summer, following Jasiah Jervis and Ethan Taylor, who played for Team USA at the U18 FIBA AmeriCup tournament. Team USA ended up with the silver medal.
Jervis and Taylor reported to campus later than the rest of Michigan State’s freshmen in the 2026 recruiting class because they were returning from the event in Mexico.
It’s a notable move by Izzo to let his players take part in these international competitions, even with the injury risk attached. For plenty of young players, this is a dream opportunity, and Bonke is getting to live it right now.
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