Michigan State Spartans Michigan Wolverines St. Johns Red Storm Liam McNeeley Bryce Hopkins Brandon Grier College sports Xavier Booker Tom Izzo Mens college basketball Sports transactions Saint Johns St. Johns College basketball NBA Draft Michigan State Spartans mens basketball New York City Wire Sports Michigan Kadary Richmond NBA basketball Rick Pitino
# Michigan State's Holloman, Booker, Michigan's Donaldson enter transfer portal, St. John's adds Sanon

By Mike Fitzpatrick  
April 1st, 2025 12:16 PM

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NEW YORK (AP) — Michigan State's Tre Holloman plans to end his college career at another school and Xavier Booker is shooting for a fresh start.

Holloman's agent, Brandon Grier, said the guard entered the transfer portal and informed coach Tom Izzo of his decision on Tuesday. The program later confirmed Booker and Gehrig Normand also entered the portal.

Michigan guard Tre Donaldson is on the move, too.

Donaldson averaged 11.1 points and 4.1 assists last season for the Wolverines, helping them win the Big Ten Tournament and advance to the Sweet 16 under first-year coach Dusty May, after spending two years at Auburn.

Holloman averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 assists as a junior for the Big Ten champion Spartans, whose season ended Sunday against Auburn in the NCAA Tournament. He was 0 for 10, including five 3-point attempts, and scored two points in a six-point loss to the top-seeded Tigers in the South Region final.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Minneapolis native had a career-high 20 points in a win over Michigan last month and made a career-high four 3-pointers in a first-round victory over Bryant in the NCAA Tournament.

Booker signed with the Spartans as one of Izzo's highest-rated recruits and didn't approach expectations, averaging 4.7 points last season as a sophomore and 3.7 points as a freshman. He fell so far out of the rotation that he didn't play in the team's last three NCAA Tournament games.

The 6-11, 240-pound center from Indianapolis, though, will likely field a lot of offers because of his size and flashes of potential he had over two seasons.

Connecticut freshman forward Liam McNeeley, who averaged 14.5 points a game, announced on social media he's entering the NBA draft.

Normand joined Holloman and Booker in the portal after scoring a total of eight points in 13 games as a redshirt freshman last season.

At St. John's, coach Rick Pitino has been busy replenishing his roster in the portal.

Coming off its most successful season in decades, the school announced Monday that former Arizona State guard Joson Sanon and ex-Providence forward Bryce Hopkins were signing with the Red Storm.

The duo should help replace RJ Luis Jr., a second-team All-American and the 2025 Big East player of the year. Luis is declaring for the NBA draft while retaining his eligibility and entering the portal, his agent told ESPN last weekend.

St. John's also loses seniors Kadary Richmond, Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith, meaning four of its top five scorers from 2024-25 won't be back next season. They teamed with power forward Zuby Ejiofor to lead the Red Storm to a pair of Big East championships this year and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before they lost to 10th-seeded Arkansas 75-66 in the second round.

The 19-year-old Sanon, a five-star prospect coming out of high school, averaged 11.9 points in 28.3 minutes per game during his freshman season with the Sun Devils and has three years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-5 guard shot 36.9% from 3-point range, which should help a Johnnies team that struggled from the perimeter this season. He averaged 18.8 points over his last five games.

"Joson is a great shooter, really good athlete and has absolutely outstanding potential," Pitino said.

Hopkins was a first-team All-Big East selection in 2023 at Providence but missed most of the past two seasons because of injuries. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 50 games over three years with the Friars after beginning his college career at Kentucky in 2021-22.

The 6-foot-7 Hopkins started 14 games in 2023-24 before a torn ACL ended his season. He returned in early December 2024 but played in just three games, averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds, before a bone bruise sidelined him for the rest of the season.

"He will be a great replacement for the void left with RJ moving on to the pros," Pitino said.

The 72-year-old Hall of Fame coach guided St. John's to a 31-5 record this season, equaling a school best for wins, and a No. 5 ranking in the AP Top 25 that marked its highest since 1991. The program won its first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years, its first conference tournament crown in a quarter-century, and earned its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2000.

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AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Michigan contributed to this report.

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