Tom Izzo names captains and previews Michigan State's roster ahead of 2025-26 season
MSU head coach Tom Izzo names four captains and talks about the importance of his returning players with experience, along with the new additions.
Monday marked the first day of practice for the Michigan State men’s basketball team. This year's team features a good mixture of returners, transfers and freshmen expected to play a role.
With the 2025-2026 season starting in just under two months, head coach Tom Izzo named his four captains shortly before the first practice. The captains were chosen by the players, and Izzo has rarely had this many captains for one season during his career at Michigan State.
Those captains are the four returners with the most experience: redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr., junior forward Coen Carr, senior forward Jaxon Kohler and senior center Carson Cooper.
Izzo believes that these four players are the ones who should have been chosen for the job.
“Usually you would say, ‘Well, shouldn’t there be just one?’ Everybody got different votes, but it was really close,” Izzo said. “It is the four guys that should be picked. Jaxon (Kohler) and Carson (Cooper) have really taken the role on. Their personalities are different, so I have been really pleased with that part. Now, do I think Jeremy (Fears) has to be the guy to step up in the end because you can’t have four voices all the time? I do think that that kind of tells you what the team thinks of those guys."
The four captains are the only players returning for the Spartans who have registered starts for Michigan State in the past.
Izzo says these four players have each taken a jump since the end of last season.
“Our four mainstays, the guys that have all started here, have made significant improvement,” Izzo said. “What does significant improvement mean? I don’t know, but I think every one of them is shooting it better. Carson (Cooper) has really lifted his game. Jaxon (Kohler) is in the best shape, which really helps him, Coen (Carr) looks better than he did before, and is shooting it better. And with Jeremy (Fears), I think having a whole summer to work on his game has really helped him.”
Carr, Cooper, Fears and Kohler will be heavily relied on to contribute on both sides of the ball for the Spartans this season, following the departures of players such as Jaden Akins, Jase Richardson, Tre Holloman, Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala.
