Michigan State 'selfless' forward Thomas Kithier enters transfer portal
Apr. 13—The turnover on Michigan State's basketball roster continues.
Junior forward Thomas Kithier became the third Spartan since the end of the season to enter the NCAA transfer portal, submitting his name on Tuesday.
Kitheir said in a post on Twitter that he will graduate in May after three years with a bachelor's degree in science, and plans to "explore options for grad school."
"I created lifelong memories with my teammates while I was here and those guys will always be my brothers," Kithier said in his statement. "Thanks to Coach (Tom) Izzo, the MSU coaches, support staff and all of my professors.
"Playing for Coach Izzo was a childhood dream of mine and I will always cherish the championships we won and the experience I had here."
Kithier joined guards Jack Hoiberg and Rocket Watts, each of whom entered the portal last month. Hoiberg has committed to Texas-Arlington while Watts has yet to announce where he will play next year. Michigan State has also added one player through the portal, picking up former Northeastern guard Tyson Walker.
Kithier appeared in 86 games over the past three seasons, starting 19 times while averaging 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.6 minutes. As a junior in 2020-21, Kithier started 14 of 26 games, averaging 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 forward scored in double figures once, getting 10 points against Binghamton as a sophomore.
A regular in the rotation for most of the season, Kithier played only single-digit minutes in each of the final six regular season games and did not get on the court in the First Four loss to UCLA in the NCAA Tournament, potentially spelling out his future as a Spartan.
"We met with Thomas and his parents a couple of times after the season was done and we both thought that pursuing other options would be mutually beneficial for us and for him," Izzo said in a statement. "Thomas has been a selfless player who has always been willing to do whatever we asked of him, whether it was starting at times in the last two years or coming off the bench.
"He's one of the brightest kids we've had, both on the court and in the classroom. He will earn his bachelor's degree in three years and wants to explore options that he feels will be better for him from a basketball standpoint and for graduate school. I have a great deal of respect for him and his family and will help him in any way that I can as he explores his options."
Michigan State now has one open scholarship for next season. There's a chance Emoni Bates could reclassify and join the 2021 class, but the Spartans could also continue to mine the transfer portal for another player.
Twitter: @mattcharboneau
