Tre Holloman, MSU Could Not Have Found Such Success Without You
Devastating news came down on Michigan State basketball on Tuesday as it was confirmed that junior guard Tre Holloman had entered the transfer portal. A team captain, the team’s designated sixth man and a true Spartan is moving on.
Holloman’s last game in a Spartan uniform was one of the most he struggled through his entire career. He scored just 2 points on an 0-10 shooting night, falling to the No. 1 Auburn Tigers by six points in the Elite Eight. Holloman could not hold back tears, feeling that the loss was solely his fault.
“I’m proud of everybody from coaches to literally everybody, this is a special place, I love my teammates,” Holloman said. ” … I wish could have showed up big for my team today, but I’m just sorry man, I just feel like I let me team down.”
It was heartbreaking to watch the young man talk through his postgame remarks, giving thanks to the entire program, but could not help to feel like the loss was on him. People may look at his stat line from that game, but Holloman is not the reason they lost and does not need to apologize for anything.
The Spartans would not have had the success they did this season without everything that Holloman brought to this team. Nobody represented the epitome of Spartans basketball like he did and was the true representation of what it means to be a Spartan Dawg. This kid is special and he deserves credit.
Holloman is a homegrown talent that has spent all three seasons in a Michigan State uniform. He was the one to defend the Spartan logo when Michigan decided to stand over it during the senior day festivities, taking Spartan fans by storm as one of their favorite players by how they spoke of him.
Holloman was also the one to hit back-to-back, game-changing 3-pointers to help defeat the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. He hit a half-court shot to shock Maryland at the buzzer, on the road. He provided depth, talent, and grit to this team and was one of the stars of this Big Ten title winning team.
If Holloman does not hit some of those shots, Michigan State may not have won the Big Ten title. If he does not come up big in so many moments throughout the year, the Spartans may not have earned a No. 2 seed in the tournament and made their way to an 15th Elite Eight in program history.
Holloman did, in fact, score in double figures in all three prior tournament games during this run, being a pivotal piece to the Spartans’ deep run in March.
Yes, Holloman may have had his worst shooting game of the season against Auburn to end the season, but that does not take away what the Minneapolis native was able to deliver for this team. Holloman did so much for this program over his three years so far, but this season in particular.
Holloman finished the year averaging career-highs in points (9.1), assists (3.7), rebounds (1.9), minutes played (23.1) and free-throw percentage (85.1%). His future is one of the brightest on this current roster and he has a lot to reflect on this season as incredible moments that led to success.
Nobody embraced the culture as much as Tre did and his efforts will always be remembered. After a few days of stinging pain from the loss, hopefully Holloman is able to reflect back on the season that he and his guys put together and be proud that he has returned Spartan basketball to the top.
Tre, keep your head up. You were one of the most beloved players on this team and nobody puts the blame solely on one guy for the Elite Eight loss. Despite his decision to leave, this kid has immense potential and the ability to change a program with his play on the court and competitive attitude.
