As Big Ten grows, Michigan State looks to continue building momentum in 2024-25

She always answers with a candid, “I don’t know.”

She’ll provide a bit more nuance thereafter, noting that it’s just her players playing against each other every day in practice, so it’s hard to know how that will translate against other teams. But as Fralick enters her second season at the helm in East Lansing, there’s much to build on. 

Last year, the Spartans were one of the top teams in the Big Ten, finishing 12-7 in what was an incredibly deep conference, and 22-9 overall. Even some of the losses were noteworthy, in a positive way: a three-point defeat on the road against Caitlin Clark and Iowa, a five-point loss to an elite Ohio State team and a three-point loss to Teri Moren’s Hoosiers. While Michigan State saw its season end with a loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (59-56, against North Carolina), Fralick was planting the seeds for what she wanted her program to become.

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Fralick often talks about adapting her system to fit her players. Her offensive style prides itself on flexibility and versatility, and last year, the Spartans executed that aspect quite well.

Michigan State featured four players that averaged at least 10 points per game and a fifth who averaged 9.6; they ranked sixth in the nation in points per game, effective field goal percentage and points per scoring attempt; and they ranked third in assist-to-turnover ratio.

“I felt like we had a group that just was really eager and willing to learn,” Fralick told The Next. “I felt fortunate to come in as a new coach and really have a good team and have a team that really fits the way we like to play. I felt like we were undersized, but we were fast. We tried to find ways to take advantage of that, and I thought when we were effective, it was because we played really good team basketball.”

Conventional wisdom could suggest that while Fralick’s new-look Spartans were able to catch some opponents off guard in year one, it’ll be a taller task in year two. Fralick, though, doesn’t think about it that way.

For one, she noted that teams’ staffs are so big, and the data is so plentiful, that it seems unlikely for any one team to truly surprise another. But, there’s truth to the fact that things change a lot from year to year.

“One thing we’ve shared with our team that’s been consistent messaging is, we have momentum, but momentum doesn’t mean anything,” Fralick said. “I’ve seen plenty of years where a kid has a great season, and then the next year doesn’t. Or, a kid is a ninth or 10th man and then the next year is an all-league starter. A year is a long time. We talk a lot about using our momentum, but we have to stay in pursuit of getting better.”

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Losing Moira Joiner (graduation) and DeeDee Hagemann (transferred to Memphis), last year’s second- and third-leading scorers respectively, will certainly recalibrate how the Spartans operate. Joiner brought consistency on both sides of the ball, and Hagemann brought an energy and a speed to the point guard position that helped galvanize the team. 

But Fralick says she’s pleased with what her roster looks like now. Michigan State added three transfers this offseason: Grace VanSlooten (Oregon), Jaddan Simmons (Arizona State) and Nyla Hampton (Ball State). VanSlooten, at 6’3, is taller than any player who played significant minutes for Fralick last year. In her sophomore year at Oregon, she averaged 15.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

“She’s such a unique player in that she has great size and athleticism, and she’s very, very mobile,” Fralick said. “You can move her around. She can play in a lot of spots on the court. She can score from a lot of spots. And she can guard a lot of spots. I think versatility is always a two-way street. You gotta be able to be versatile on both sides of the floor, and she fits that really well.”

Simmons and Hampton, meanwhile, will bring lots of college basketball experience to the locker room. In four years as a Sun Devil, Simmons played at least 29 minutes per game every year, while Hampton did the same in three years at Bowling Green (under Fralick) and last year at Ball State. 

“They’re both really good defensively, too,” Fralick noted. “I’ve really liked their ability, their length and their ability to learn our system.”

The Spartans will also have last year’s leading scorer Julia Ayrault back for her graduate year, junior guard Theryn Hallock who averaged 11.2 points, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game last season and Jocelyn Tate, who led the team with 1.7 steals per game last season after following Fralick from Bowling Green to East Lansing.

6’5 redshirt freshman Mary Meng, who missed most of last season with a foot injury, could also help diversify their offense with her length on the floor.

If Michigan State makes it back to the NCAA Tournament in 2025, Fralick is under no illusion that it’ll be easy, particularly with four new teams joining the Big Ten. But regardless of the obstacles that may arise, she’s clear-eyed in seeing the opportunities that lie ahead.

“I just think women’s basketball is in as good of a place as it’s ever been,” Fralick said. “I think our league’s in an amazing place. I think the platform for women’s basketball is incredible because it’s good. I know our team’s excited to be part of it, and I know we feel a real responsibility to keep growing the game.”