Tom Izzo’s 2027 board is starting to take shape, and one of the clearest themes is that Michigan State wants a center in the mix.
The Spartans have already added offers to several guards and to top-50 center Jadyn Jenkins from Pennsylvania, but Izzo appears to be circling one more big man as he keeps building out the class. The thinking seems pretty straightforward: if there are only two open spots next offseason, point guard and center make the most sense. Michigan State should have plenty of wings and forwards, and if Bonke leaves, adding another center would fit the roster well.
That brings Kamsi Awaka into the picture.
Awaka, a 4-star center from New Jersey, was reportedly watched on Friday by Izzo and UConn coach Dan Hurley. The big man was also highlighted in a post from League Ready after New Heights’ win over Garner Road at the 3SSB Circuit, with the note that UConn and Michigan State checked in on him.
Awaka looks like the kind of center Izzo has gravitated toward before: physical, old-school, and built to make life difficult inside. At 6-foot-8, he may be able to play some four at the college level, but that would likely depend on him adding mobility and a reliable jumper from deep. In the game Izzo watched, Awaka was mostly doing his damage at the rim, and that kind of straightforward scoring is something Michigan State has been missing for a while - a player who can simply go get a bucket.
That style also lines up with what the Spartans may be asking from Cam Ward this season.
Izzo has long liked smaller, stronger centers, and Awaka fits that mold. The comparison point here is the kind of versatile physical presence Michigan State has developed before, like Xavier Tillman or Draymond Green. The idea of pairing the tallest player Izzo has ever coached with a more rugged, bucket-getting center could give the Spartans a very different look.
And the position is in a much better place than it was not long ago.
Michigan State had a center problem a couple of years back, but Szymon Zapala helped bridge the gap. Xavier Booker never really settled in at center and was better suited for the four, while Carson Cooper split time with the Longwood transfer.
Things stabilized more last season with Cooper starting and Jaxon Kohler alongside him in the post. Depth was still limited, but the spot was a positive for a second straight year.
Now it looks even stronger heading into the 2026-27 season.
The Spartans brought in Anton Bonke, a 7-foot-2 center from Charlotte who tested the NBA draft waters, along with top-40 freshman Ethan Taylor, who is also listed at 7-foot-2. Jesse McCulloch is back as well and could be in line for a backup role in his third season, with real breakout potential.
If Michigan State can add Awaka or Jenkins in 2027, the center spot could stay a strength for a long time.
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The performance also offered a glimpse of why Cooper has drawn attention as a different kind of center, one whose game fits a modern NBA conversation in a way that should keep him on the radar. Memphis may have come up short against Golden State, but Coopers showing added another layer to the intrigue around his long-term potential, and it gives Spartan fans a reason to keep an eye on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
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That same mix showed up again in NBA Summer League, where Hoggard got another chance to remind teams what he can do with the ball in his hands. The passing was there, as it so often has been, and the flashes of disruption on defense still showed up too, but the larger question around him remains the one that followed him through college. For all the value he brings as a creator, the shot has not always cooperated, and that leaves his next step very much open. [Read more 🡒]