Michigan State Finally Breaks Through in Transfer Portal with 7-Foot-2 Center Anton Bonke

Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans are finally on the board when it comes to the transfer portal.

Heading into Wednesday, the Spartans were one of the only teams yet to lose a player to the portal—or gain one. In less than 24 hours, both of those things changed.

This morning, guard Divine Ugochukwu opted to enter the transfer portal for the second consecutive season. Then, in the afternoon, the Spartans secured their first commitment from the portal.

That player is 7-foot-2, 270-pound center Anton Bonke out of Charlotte.

In 2025, Bonke averaged 10.4 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 1.0 assist. He shot 63% from the free throw line and averaged 1.1 three-point attempts per game, showing he’s not afraid to step out and take a shot from deep when given the opportunity. In fact, there’s a short list of seven-footers who recorded at least 50 dunks and 10 made three-pointers in a season—and Bonke is on it.

7-footers with 50 dunks and 10 threes in a season:

Bonke began his career at the JUCO level with Eastern Arizona College before transferring to Providence. As a sophomore there, he played in 16 games, starting one, and averaged a modest 1.3 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

With the addition of Bonke, along with incoming freshman Ethan Taylor—who stands at 7-foot-1—the Spartans will now boast two of the tallest players in Michigan State history.

More importantly, Michigan State has finally made a move in the portal. For a while, things felt stagnant. From the start, Izzo and the Spartans were linked to several names, but with each passing day, they continued to miss out while other programs stacked additions.

Now that they’ve gotten the monkey off their back, it’s worth taking a look at what the frontcourt could look like moving forward.

The starting lineup may feature two players who saw zero time on the court for MSU last season—despite one of them being on the roster. With Bonke now in the fold, it’s fair to pencil him in at center, filling the role left behind by Carson Cooper.

At the other frontcourt spot, the role most recently held by Jaxon Kohler will likely be taken over by Kaleb Green. Green transferred in from Florida Atlantic last season but suffered an injury before the year even got underway, causing him to miss the entire season. If healthy, he should be eager to make an immediate impact.

Behind them, freshman Ethan Taylor is expected to back up the center position, while Cam Ward—who showed strong intensity as a freshman—will be right in the mix. Ward could very well push for a starting role over Green, setting up what should be a strong position battle. Either way, both players are likely to see significant minutes.

Providing depth behind that group will likely be sophomore Jesse McCullough and incoming freshman Julius Avent, giving Michigan State multiple layers of size and versatility in the frontcourt.

Bonke becomes the ninth 4-star player on MSU’s roster, joining two 5-star recruits—Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jasiah Jervis—and one 3-star player in McCullough.

This is a huge addition—not just for Izzo and the Spartans, but for the fans and media as well. There had been growing noise about whether Izzo could adapt to the modern landscape of college basketball, particularly when it comes to the transfer portal. Questions about whether he was too set in his ways had started to surface.

With this move, those doubts quiet down—at least for now. Michigan State has made its statement, and Spartan fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing their program is still capable of landing the right pieces when it matters most.