The transfer from the northeast Tyson Walker, one of the best middle guards in the country, has been hired in the state of Michigan.
Walker picked the Spartans from a final five that included Kansas, Maryland, Miami and Vanderbilt.
“They’ve been talking to me since I walked into the portal,” Walker told ESPN about Michigan. “I talk to myself every day. Just what they have and what they need. I’m ready to win a championship. I’m the missing piece.
“It simply came to our notice then. [Tom Izzo’s] personality. I built a good relationship over the phone and through Zooms. What they were missing this year was a guard. “
Walker, a 6-foot-long student from Long Island, won the All-CAA First Team Awards this season and won the CAA Defensive Player of the Year award. He averaged 18.8 points and 4.8 assists and jumped on the national stage when he scored 27 points in North Carolina in February.
“He showed that I can score anyone, not just against the people in our conference,” Walker said.
Michigan State has slipped into the NCAA tournament this season after defeating Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan in the past two weeks, but the Spartans fought for most of the campaign and were repulsed by UCLA in the top four. One of the key issues was the lack of consistency with the guard. They fought to take care of the ball and shoot from the perimeter.
“My ability to give people open photos, I think, will be the biggest thing. And to be able to take photos,” Walker said. “I know I can’t take as many photos as I did here, so it’s going to have to change a little bit. But my attendance is going to increase because of the people around me.”