Last March, after Michigan State had its season ended in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament at the hands of North Carolina, Tom Izzo vowed to be better. This loss had marked the fourth straight tournament where Michigan State would fail to make it past the Sweet Sixteen.
"I'm getting back to a deeper run in this tournament or I'm gonna die trying," he said at the time.
This statement brought about a feeling amongst fans that Tom Izzo would be aggressive in the off-season to better his roster in ways he had not done in the past.
Sure, Izzo has brought in transfers who have made significant impact on his teams. Think Brandon Wood, Joey Houser, Tyson Walker, etc - but after the 2023-2024 season, it seemed clear that Michigan State’s roster had more holes than could be filled by a single transfer addition.
Fairly early in the transfer cycle, Michigan State landed forward Frankie Fidler from Omaha, a high-scoring addition that fans were excited about. However, there still was an apparent need at the center position.
High profile center after high profile center entered the portal with no apparent interest from MSU. After this continued for several weeks, it did not appear that MSU would be adding a significant center in the portal, let alone someone they would have to bid highly for in NIL funds.
Then, in May, after much of the hustle and bustle of the transfer portal had ended, Michigan State landed a transfer portal center in Szymon Zapala from Longwood and before that Utah State.
While at Utah State, Zapala played in 45 games over three seasons, never earning a start or playing over five minutes per game over the course of a season. After he transferred to Longwood, his production increased, but he was still not an every day starter.
Many fans questioned this move. This is Tom Izzo attempting to make a deep run in the tournament or die trying?
While conference foes like Indiana and Washington were making huge NIL moves to land top centers, Izzo waited in the shadows, and landed Zapala who had yet to show much production, let alone at the major conference level.
Friday night in Columbus, in a much needed spot, the vision that Izzo had in bringing Zapala in was apparent. Over the past few seasons, Michigan State's centers have often been liabilities; frequently forcing tough shots, losing handle of the ball, or failing to defend at a high level.
Against Ohio State, Zapala not only had a season-high (and team leading) 15 points, but he did so in a manner that made it clear he belongs in the Big Ten. He wasn’t just the benefactor of being in the right place at the right time, it was clear the coaching staff was making a concerted effort to give him the ball in the post early and often.
“Yeah, we knew we had an advantage at the five (position)," Zapala said." It was a few opportunities for me to score, I just took advantage of it.”
Not only has Zapala showcased that he can do the little things like cleaning up the glass and taking care of the ball, he showed that he can take advantage of mismatches and be the vocal point on offense when needed.
