Tag: rocket watts

Report: Rocket Watts in touch with Kentucky regarding potential transfer

According to Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers, MSU guard Rocket Watts has reportedly been in touch with Kentucky regarding his transfer.

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A ninth team has now officially reached out to Michigan State basketball guard Rocket Watts regarding his transfer. John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats reached out to Watts this week, according to a report from Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.

Watts entered the transfer portal on March 29th after a disappointing sophomore season with the Spartans. A former top-30 pick who showed a lot of promise in his sophomore season, Watts has been drawing interest from some of the top programs in the country.

Weingarten also reported that Florida State is one of the top contenders for Watts’ transfer.

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Examining the 8 teams that have reached out to Michigan State basketball transfer Rocket Watts

According to a report from Tipton Edits, there are 8 teams that have reached out to Michigan State transfer Rocket Watts.

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Michigan State basketball sophomore Rocket Watts made waves not only within the MSU fan base, but in the college basketball world at large on Monday when he announced that he would be entering the NCAA’s Transfer Portal after a disappointing, frustrating season with the Spartans.

Watts is easily one of the most intriguing players in the portal. A former 4-star recruit, Watts was a big reason MSU ended their 2019-20 campaign so strong, and even amidst struggles, helped lead MSU over a stellar Michigan squad this season. However, as Tom Izzo himself noted, a position switch to point guard coupled with a tough pandemic season led to inconsistent play from Watts and he will likely benefit from a change of scenery.

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On Thursday, Joe Tipton of Tipton Edits revealed the 8 teams that have initially reached out to Watts regarding his transfer. You can see all 8 below:

Jack Hoiberg announces he is transferring to UT-Arlington

Former Michigan State walk-on and guard Jack Hoiberg has announced where he will be finishing his collegiate career.

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Former Michigan State walk-on and guard Jack Hoiberg has announced where he will be finishing his collegiate career. Hoiberg announced on Twitter that he will be transferring to UT-Arlington with the caption “Next chapter…”

The University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks play in the Sun Belt conference and finished the 2020-21 season with a 13-13 record and 9-8 record in conference play. Hoiberg will be looking to make an immediate impact on the Mavericks next season.

Hoiberg could have stayed in the Big Ten and played with his father Fred at Nebraska, but ultimately decided to go the Sun Belt and play for UT-Arlington.

The Spartans have been very active in the transfer portal this season with the loss of Hoiberg and Rocket Watts entering the transfer portal and the addition of Tyson Walker. Keep an eye on the Spartans looking at players in the transfer portal.

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Tom Izzo releases statement on Rocket Watts entering NCAA Transfer Portal

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo released a statement after Rocket Watts entered the transfer portal.

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This morning, many Michigan State basketball fans were stunned after combo guard Rocket Watts entered his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal. While it was a very challenging season for Watts for a number of reasons, many were hopeful that he could still turn things around next season.

However, Tom Izzo put out a statement on Monday that validated and supported Rocket’s decision.

In the statement, Izzo highlighted the position move to point guard for Rocket that, while difficult enough in it’s own right, became a seemingly insurmountable challenge when coupled with the pandemic. Izzo was complimentary of Rocket in the statement and also acknowledged his academic improvements.

You can see his full statement below:

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LOOK: Rocket Watts says good-bye to Spartan Nation

Rocket Watts gave a good-bye note to Michigan State fans via his Twitter page after entering his name in the transfer portal this afternoon.

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The Michigan State basketball community has learned that Rocket Watts has entered his name in the transfer portal this afternoon. Albeit a tough decision, it feels best for both parties to make this move.

Rocket has given the Michigan State community many memories in his two years with the program and is going to be someone the fans cheer for no matter what jersey he is wearing.

Watts posted a good-bye message to Spartan Nation via twitter:

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Michigan State will look to replace Watts’ contributions on the wing this next season with incoming freshman Pierre Brooks or possibly dipping into the transfer portal.

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Michigan State basketball guard Rocket Watts enters NCAA Transfer Portal

MSU combo guard Rocket Watts has officially entered the transfer portal after a frustrating season.

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It looks like the Rocket Watts era at Michigan State is coming to an end. The MSU basketball guard entered his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal on Monday after a disappointing, inconsistent season with the Spartans.

Watts looked like an up-and-coming star for MSU in his freshman year, averaging 9 points per game. But he never looked comfortable in his sophomore season, where he was asked to play point guard, a position he never seemed to acclimate to. His production took a step back and he only averaged 7.7 points per game. His already mediocre three-point shooting also took a nosedive, dropping from 28.1% to 25.3%.

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Still, at times this year, Watts still was able to showcase the skills that brought him to MSU in the first place, so it’s disappointing that things never fully clicked into place. If this is the end of his time at Michigan State, hopefully a fresh start can help him revive his career. Watts definitely has some NBA skills, he just needs to put everything together.

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LOOK: Rocket Watts shares emotional embrace with Tom Izzo following win over Michigan

Rocket Watts shared an emotional embrace with Tom Izzo following his great performance against Michigan.

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What an emotional night for Rocket Watts.

Michigan State’s point guard has been, easily, the most inconsistent player on the team this season, a frustrating reality considering how talented he is. Tom Izzo has frequently talked in press conferences about how he needs more from his sophomore guard, and he finally delivered and looked like the player from last year on Sunday.

Watts, who revealed after the game this was the first game he has played in front of his mom since he joined the program, scored 21 points on Michigan and played solid defense in a bounce-back game.

After the game, Watts shared an emotional moment with Izzo on the court. A photo of the powerful interaction was posted by Daniel Mears of The Detroit News:

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Best quotes following Michigan State Basketball’s upset win over No. 2 Michigan

Here are the best quotes following Michigan State’s huge upset win over Michigan.

Michigan State Basketball earned their biggest, most important win of the season on Sunday against their in-state rival and No. 2 team in the country Michigan. The Spartans should now be a lock to make their way to the NCAA Tournament and are heading into the Big Ten Tournament with a full head of steam.

This was an emotional, intense win for the Spartans, who were able to bounce back after a beatdown from Michigan on Thursday. It was especially emotional for Joshua Langford and Rocket Watts. For Langford, it was senior day and he hit one of the biggest shots of his career. For Watts, he played like a star and was able to play in front of his mom for the first time during his tenure at Michigan State.

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Below, we put together the best postgame quotes following a memorable win for the Spartans.

Michigan State Basketball upsets No. 2 Michigan, will likely earn NCAA Tournament berth

Michigan State was able to upset the Wolverines at home and will now likely earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

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Michigan State Basketball has done it. Following an absolute beatdown by the Wolverines on Thursday, Tom Izzo and his Spartans bounced back to beat No. 2 Michigan 70-64. MSU was led by some stellar play from Rocket Watts and, once again, Aaron Henry, as well as some late heroics by Joshua Langford.

After getting blistered by Franz Wagner and Hunter Dickinson on Thursday, MSU was able to hold them to 22 combined points on the day, many of those coming in desperation at the end of the game.

Rocket Watts was the star for MSU in this one, scoring 21 points on 8/16 shooting (5/6 from the free-throw line). He also added 4 rebounds and 4 assists in a much-needed bounce-back game after a tough stretch to his season.

The Spartans once again relied on Aaron Henry down the stretch to close out the game. He finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Joshua Langford struggled in this game but was able to redeem himself with a huge game-sealing three-pointer in the final minute of action.

Marcus Bingham Jr. and Joey Hauser had a big impact in this one off the bench. Bingham played excellent defense on Hunter Dickinson, scoring 5 points to go along with 8 rebounds, 3 steals, a block, and an assist. Hauser had 11 points and 5 rebounds and looked much sharper than he has in weeks.

MSU’s third win over a top-5 team this year should lock-in an NCAA Tournament berth for the Spartans. They will get a few days of rest before the Big Ten Tournament starts on March 10.

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Michigan State Basketball vs. No. 2 Michigan: Starting lineups for both teams

Michigan State plays the first of two games against Michigan on Thursday night. Here are your starters.

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Michigan State Basketball faces arguably their biggest test of the season in less than 20 minutes, facing off against in-state rival Michigan, the No. 2 team in the country, on the road in Ann Arbor.

Like he has done all season, Tom Izzo will be tweaking the starting lineup for MSU in what has become a common occurrence for the Spartans.

Izzo will re-insert Rocket Watts back into the starting lineup at the point guard position, and go with Julius Marble and Malik Hall in the front court, likely to save Marcus Bingham Jr., who we think might be his secret weapon, to go up against Hunter Dickinson in the second half.

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Michigan State Starters

  • G Rocket Watts
  • G Joshua Langford
  • F Aaron Henry
  • F Malik Hall
  • F Julius Marble

Michigan Starters

  • G Mike Smith
  • G Franz Wagner
  • G Eli Brooks
  • F Isaiah Livers
  • C Hunter Dickinson

THREE SPARTANS TO WATCH: Link

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