Barring whoever is going to be the school’s next athletic director, Tom Izzo and the Michigan State men’s basketball team had one more hole to fill on the roster in this offseason: a backup guard who could fill minutes behind Jeremy Fears Jr.

Sunday afternoon, the Spartans got their guy.

Divine Ugochukwu, a 6-foot-3 and 190-pound combo guard, announced his commitment to Michigan State out of the transfer portal Sunday on Instagram. Ugochukwu was a freshman at Miami (Fla.) last season, averaging 5.3 points, 2.3 assists and 20.2 minutes over 28 games. He has three remaining years of eligibility.

Ugochukwu, who is from Sugar Land, Texas, reportedly visited the MSU campus last week. He wasn’t the first target on Michigan State’s board, but it became clear over the past week or so that he was its top remaining target at a position of need.

Given the complexion of next season’s roster, Ugochukwu will be tasked as a second ballhandler behind Fears, who is expected to take a significant leap in minutes in his sophomore season, though his third year with the program after receiving a medical redshirt for his freshman season cut short when he was shot over Christmas break. At times last year as the starting point guard, Fears was a brilliant playmaker, but at others he struggled. That’s where Tre Holloman filled in, the junior captain leading what amounted to the backup platoon late in the season. Holloman chose to spend his senior year at North Carolina State, leaving that backup point guard role open.

Fears will get his fill of minutes this coming season, while Ugochukwu fills the immediate need behind him. He may also get some run at shooting guard, though a career 17.6% from 3 without multiple makes in a game suggests there is serious shot development necessary to get the most out of those minutes. At shooting guard, Michigan State already brought in Samford guard Trey Fort to provide ballast for the loss of Jase Richardson to the NBA Draft. Richardson could still technically withdraw from the draft by 5 p.m. June 15, but that appears an unlikely move. Michigan State also lost Jaden Akins to graduation, with rising sophomore Kur Teng expected to play more minutes at shooting guard after some flashes of stout two-way play and respectable shooting in limited run time last season.

So, with a guard unit of Fears, Ugochukwu, Fort and Teng, Michigan State has its next group of guards to lead a style of basketball driven by them.

Bringing in two transfers and leaning on a rising sophomore with minimal experience may seem like a hurdle for Michigan State to face next season. It may very well be. But last year’s rotation that wound up being one of the Big Ten’s better units was also driven by some inexperienced but quick-learning contributors. Richardson entered a rather unknown quantity as a freshman who surprised those both inside and outside the program with his game sense and efficiency. Fears, as the head of the snake, had to learn how to be a starting point guard for Tom Izzo, for all intents and purposes, on the fly.

Ugochukwu is the third MSU transfer from the portal this offseason, joining Florida Atlantic forward Kaleb Glenn and Samford guard Trey Fort. Unlike the previous two additions who both played the Spartans last season with their respective teams, Ugochukwu has not played a game at Breslin Center. That will change this fall.

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

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