According to many sources, the Spartans secured a commitment from Charlotte transfer center Anton Bonke on Wednesday afternoon.
Bonke, at 7-foot-2 and 260 pounds, reportedly visited East Lansing last week after a trip to Kansas. Last season, he averaged 10. 6 points and a team-high 8. 3 rebounds in 25. 5 minutes per game for the 49ers. Bonke can also stretch the floor and shoot 34. 2% (13-for-38) from three-point range.
The Spartans were determined to build a transfer center after losing two senior bigs and starters in forward Jaxon Kohler and center Carson Cooper. Center Jesse McCulloch is scheduled to return, but he was an end-of-the-rotation player who averaged 2. 4 points and 1. 3 rebounds as a redshirt freshman.
Michigan State lost five seniors from last season’s Sweet 16 squad, and bringing Bonke into the mix may round out the roster for coach Tom Izzo’s 32nd season. Jeremy Fears, an All-American point guard, has declared for the NBA draft but intends to retain his college eligibility.
Combo guard Divine Ugochukwu, a former Miami transfer who started 12 games for the Spartans this season before suffering a fractured foot, joined the portal shortly before it shut at midnight on Tuesday.
Bonke is from Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific, and was a great rower before switching to basketball. Before transferring to Charlotte, he played one season at Eastern Arizona College, a JUCO school, and one at Providence. Last season, Bonke made 32 starts in 34 games, shooting 57. 6 percent from the field.
Michigan State has a four-person high school signing class ranked in the top five, which includes four-star center Ethan Taylor.
