Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans basketball team had a stellar season. The Spartans made it to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, won the Big Ten regular season, and progressed to the Big Ten Tournament championship game. The Spartans had won the Big Ten conference title for the first time since the 2019–20 season and for the first time since 2017–18. They also made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight since 2019. The Spartans are not exempt from the effects of the transfer portal, even if the program has been successful and consistently excellent in East Lansing.
“Michigan State guard Gehrig Normand transfers to Santa Clara” was the headline that Jim Comparoni of On3 Sports wrote early on Sunday morning.
Normand travelled from Birdville High School in North Richland Hills, Texas, to East Lansing. He averaged 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game in his final year of high school.
When he committed to the Spartans, he was a four-star recruit and ranked 83rd overall by On3 Sports.
With just 13 games played and an average of barely two minutes per game, Normand saw little action for the Big Ten champs.
He played two minutes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Bryant, which was his last game as a Spartan. Trey Fort, a shooting guard, is the most recent addition to Michigan State’s transfer portal. He will be starting his sixth year of collegiate basketball after playing at Samford the previous season. The departures of Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins, Frankie Fidler, Szymon Zapala, Jase Richardson, and Jaden Richardson should be somewhat mitigated by Fort’s arrival. Kaleb Glenn, a transfer from Florida Atlantic to East Lansing, is another important addition for Tom Izzo.
