In sports, changes of scenery have been known to go one way or the other.
In MSU women’s basketball's 101-40 exhibition win over Wayne State University Monday night, new additions to the team made their presence felt.
MSU women's basketball shows off new additions in opening showcase
Michigan State University junior forward Grace VanSlooten looks to throw the ball while being guarded by Wayne State University junior forward Mackenzie Miller (42) in the Breslin Student Events Center on Oct. 28, 2024. The Spartans beat the Warriors, 101-40.
Over the offseason, MSU second-year head coach Robyn Fralick added four transfers: guard Nyla Hampton (Ball State), guard Emma Shumate (Ohio State), forward Grace VanSlooten (Oregon) and guard Jaddan Simmons (Arizona State). Four freshmen were also added in guard Sinai Douglas, forward Helen Holley, center Inés Sotelo and forward Juliann Woodard.
The new faces have added needed length to the small-ball Spartans of last winter, who started 6-foot-2 guard Julia Ayrault at center. In MSU's first showcase of the season Monday at Breslin Center, height and length were not an issue.
Junior transfer forward Grace VanSlooten's 16 points, tied for a game-high, mostly all came in the first half. Junior guard Emma Shumate finished with nine points and two makes from deep. Freshman big Inés Sotelo was unstoppable in the paint in her 11 minutes on the floor, using her size to score 13 points, all coming in the second half.
VanSlooten showed a strong size presence on both ends of the floor in her Spartan debut.
"What we love about Grace is that she’s a two-way player," Fralick said postgame. "She impacts the game on both sides of the floor. I thought she did a really good job impacting us offensively and defensively and being able to rebound outside of her area."
Despite her veteran-like performance against Wayne State, VanSlooten has spent just six months with MSU. The transition has gone better than expected, she said postgame.
"Honestly, I could not have asked for an easier transition," VanSlooten said. "Everybody’s super welcoming and when you come in everybody shows you the ropes. Nobody is mean or anything like that, so it's been a super easy transition."
Beyond her change of scenery across the country, VanSlooten can already tell the chemistry for MSU is there, even with so many new faces.
"I’m really excited," VanSlooten said. "We’ve been really harping a lot on communication. I can't imagine how much better we'll get if communication was active in the first game."
In a game which the Spartans won by over 60, their newcomers shined. But there is an entire regular season to play for MSU, starting Nov. 5 against Oakland at Breslin Center.
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