Ahead of the NCAA tournament Cooper, Kohler and Carr have been uplifting their younger teammates
As leaders on the team, Carson Cooper, Jaxon Kohler, and Coen Carr are preparing themselves and the Michigan State newcomers for the intense reality of March Madness.
March Madness and all its glory is set to begin for Michigan State men’s basketball this Thursday against North Dakota State for the Spartans's 28th consecutive tournament appearance.
For some, this will be the last tournament they ever play at MSU and others the first. Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler have both been through this time of year with head coach Tom Izzo all three years of their collegiate career prior to now, but this year they are playing the best basketball they have ever played and are anxious to step back on the big stage again.
“During the year, I think we kind of showed our highs and lows and now we can kind of really unleash our full potential, our team's full potential,” Cooper said.
That full potential will require some new faces to step up. Jordan Scott will be touching the floor in March Madness for his first time. The freshman has a big role starting at the two-guard, but he has shown the capability to perform in big moments. His upperclassmen and seniors, Kohler and Cooper, have been giving advice and words of encouragement ahead of the first game.
“Let all the noise outside, (stay) outside,” Kohler said. “At the end of the day, you’re playing a basketball game against another really good team, and you can’t listen and put pressure on yourself from all the outside noise.”
Coen Carr has been making certain to go out of his way to mentor some of his teammates and coach through some of the big moments. Young faces that have a big role to play aren't limited to only Scott. Kur Teng has an arguably bigger role to fill in his second go-around of the tournament.
