When Tre Holloman entered the transfer portal this past offseason, it caught Michigan State fans off guard. He was seen as a true Spartan - the kind of player Tom Izzo often refers to as an “OKG” (Our Kinda Guy).
Gritty, team-first, and committed. But Holloman clearly felt his role in East Lansing didn’t match his vision for his college career, and he made the decision to move on.
His next stop? NC State - a program in transition under newly hired head coach Will Wade.
On paper, it looked like a surprising move. Leaving a Hall of Fame coach and a perennial NCAA Tournament team for a rebuilding situation raised eyebrows.
But it’s clear Wade pitched Holloman on the opportunity for more - more minutes, more responsibility, more time at the point. For a player like Holloman, who wanted to be more than a rotational piece, that kind of promise can be hard to pass up.
And for a while, it seemed like the move might pay off. Holloman was inserted into the starting lineup early and had a breakout performance in November, dropping 25 points and making headlines not just for his play, but for a pointed tweet afterward: *“It’s amazing what can happen when you have a coach who trusts you.”
- That comment didn’t sit well with many in East Lansing, especially those who had supported him during his Spartan tenure. Some fans began to question whether his decision to transfer was about opportunity or something else - NIL money, backchannel promises, or a combination of both.
But fast forward to now, and the situation at NC State is starting to feel eerily familiar for Holloman.
On Wednesday night, in a blowout win over Texas Southern, Holloman came off the bench for the first time this season. He logged 18 minutes - seventh-most on the team - and while he contributed a solid nine points, four rebounds, and three assists, it was a noticeable shift from his early-season role as a starter.
Will Wade’s postgame comments painted a clear picture of his frustration with the current state of his roster. Despite the lopsided win, Wade didn’t hold back, calling out his team’s mentality and saying they had too many “casual personalities.”
He even shared an exchange with one of his players - unnamed - who claimed to be tough. Wade’s response?
*“You’re not even one of the 50 toughest players I’ve coached.” * That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement of where things stand right now in Raleigh.
As for Holloman, this isn’t just a temporary dip in minutes. Since that 25-point outburst and the tweet that followed, his production has cooled off.
He’s scored more than 11 points just once since then and is shooting just over 40 percent from the field in that stretch. His role is shrinking, not expanding - a tough pill to swallow for a player who left a top-tier program seeking more.
It’s hard not to draw parallels to his time at Michigan State. There, Holloman was a valuable rotation piece, playing meaningful minutes in big games, and learning under one of the most respected coaches in the college game. At NC State, he’s finding that the grass isn’t always greener - especially when the minutes and trust he was hoping for start to fade.
Now, to be clear, Holloman’s story isn’t finished. There’s still a long season ahead, and roles can change quickly in college basketball.
But right now, he’s not the focal point he envisioned himself becoming. Instead, he’s trending back toward the kind of role he left behind - maybe even a smaller one.
That brings us to the question that every transfer faces at some point: Was the move worth it? For Holloman, that answer is still unfolding. But as things stand, the promise of a bigger opportunity has yet to fully materialize.