Team Motorsports and Michigan State's Cam Ward shoots against Team Faygo during the Moneyball Pro-Am on Thursday, July 18, 2025, at Holt High School. Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cam Ward Will Bring Energy for MSU Hoops

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Carter Landis | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Michigan State Spartans have reason to be excited about the 2025-26 college basketball season.

While they did not hit the transfer portal particularly hard and already lost one of those additions for the season, MSU still has Tom Izzo running the show for this squad. It should be one of the top contenders for the Big Ten again.

With the aforementioned injury to Florida Atlantic transfer Kaleb Glenn, MSU needs more from its small forwards and power forwards. That means Izzo will call on his freshmen to contribute.

Izzo has gotten good production out of freshmen in the past, most notably guard Jase Richardson last season, who led the team to the Elite Eight and became a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

While that may not happen for one of the two incoming freshmen, forward Cam Ward has a chance to be a serious contributor for this Spartan team.

Ward was recently mic’d up for the Spartans at a practice, showing off his energy, communication, and passion for the game. He appears to be assimilating into East Lansing well already.

The freshman was the No. 46 overall player in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports. He and Jordan Scott formed a two-man duo in that recruiting class.

Ward is 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds and should play a fair mix of the 3 and the 4 for the Spartans. He is an explosive athlete whose offensive game must improve, but he should defend and rebound at a high level immediately.

The most important thing Ward will bring to the floor is his competitiveness. MSU lost guard Tre Holloman to the transfer portal, and he may have been the most competitive player in the country, so not having a ‘dawg’ like him on the team will be a major loss.

Ward won’t make up for that loss entirely, but he should help. Competing on both ends of the floor means he will fit right in for this Spartan team.

Freshmen are always exciting to see, as fans want to see who is next up. Ward has the chance to be that player off the bench for the Spartans.

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