Tre Holloman didn’t need long to make his presence felt in Summer League.
The former Michigan State guard finally got his first run with the Magic on Saturday evening, and in just five minutes of action he delivered the kind of play Spartans fans know well. He came off the bench in the fourth quarter, eased his defender with a slow dribble to the right, then snapped into a crossover and drove hard to the rim. The lane opened, and Holloman finished with a one-handed slam that pushed the lead to 13.
It was a brief debut, and an underwhelming one in terms of opportunity. Holloman appeared in only one Summer League game over the past couple of weeks, even though he was with the Magic throughout the event.
Meanwhile, Jase Richardson - the other former Michigan State teammate expected to share the floor with him - never ended up playing alongside Holloman. Richardson logged three games in Summer League, while missing two more, likely for rest reasons and because the staff already knows what it has in the second-year guard out of Michigan State.
For Holloman, though, the highlight came fast.
Michigan State fans will recognize the move, and probably the mixed feelings that come with it. Holloman spent three years in East Lansing and built up plenty of goodwill along the way, from standing up to 7-foot-3 Zach Edey in the Big Ten Tournament during his sophomore season to drilling a buzzer-beater from beyond half court to beat Maryland on the road the next year. He also defended his senior teammates when Michigan players were standing on the logo during the tradition of the Spartan kiss.
But the way he left Michigan State changed the conversation. He took a slight shot at Tom Izzo, and that rubbed plenty of people the wrong way. The article puts it plainly: “The way he left kind of wiped away all the good grace he built up with Michigan State fans, fair or not.”
That frustration is real, even if the memories are too. Holloman was once one of the most popular Spartans in recent memory, and his departure left a bitter taste for a lot of fans.
Still, there’s a sense that he knows he handled things poorly. Izzo even hinted at getting a text from a “former player” saying that he wished things went differently.
So the reaction remains complicated. Holloman’s dunk in Summer League was a reminder of the talent and swagger that made him such a favorite in the first place.
It also served as another reminder that Michigan State could have used him. The source puts it bluntly: “We know NC State didn’t use him enough.”
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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 🡒]