Michigan State basketball: Mady Sissoko enters transfer portal

Many speculated that Mady Sissoko could return to Michigan State basketball, but instead, the senior center has entered the portal.

Speculation ran rampant about the immediate future of Mady Sissoko with Michigan State basketball in the days following the loss to North Carolina. Some believed he would use his COVID year to return to the Spartans while others expected him to leave.

Well, he kind of did both on Thursday.

NEWS: Michigan State big man Mady Sissoko has entered the transfer portal, per source.

Sissoko is a former 4⭐️ recruit who played four years at Michigan State. Started 59 games the last two seasons.

He averaged 3.3PPG and 5.1RPG this season. Shot 56.8% from the floor. pic.twitter.com/NNGnV0LCLU

— 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) April 4, 2024

It’s a little surprising to see Mady enter the portal after spending four years in East Lansing and seemingly loving every second of it along with Tom Izzo, but chances are the Hall of Fame head coach led him to this decision. He talks to all players following the season about next steps and Izzo likely told Sissoko that there may not be a ton of playing time for him if he returned.

But he also probably led him to transfer instead of moving on from the collegiate level because he could still collect NIL money to help fund his school in Mali. That was one of the main reasons I expected him to return to Michigan State. Surprisingly, he’ll be playing elsewhere next season.

Of course, there’s still a chance he removes his name from the portal and opts to return to MSU, but I wouldn’t count on it. Usually when a player decides to hit the portal under Izzo, they’re gone. And I can guarantee there’s no bad blood here. Everyone wants Mady to succeed.

Sissoko had some flashes of greatness throughout his Michigan State basketball career, most notably against Gonzaga on the aircraft carrier last season as well against Oscar Tshiebwe and Kentucky, but he could never replicate that success during his senior year. His numbers dipped and his playing time dwindled, but he still showed up in some clutch spots (against Mississippi State).

Mady will make a positive impact on whatever program he chooses next.