EAST LANSING – Theryn Hallock arrived at Michigan State with deep family ties to the university but her first year on campus came with turmoil.
Longtime women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant stepped away from the team in the middle of the season and the Spartans missed the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. Then Robyn Fralick was hired to lead the program in March 2023.
“I really struggled after freshman year and had some ups and downs mentally and physically,” said Hallock, whose dad and two older brothers played football at Michigan State, “and she really helped me change my perspective on basketball and kind of got me to love the game again.”
Fralick became the first coach in program history to reach the NCAA Tournament in their first season, then doubled up with another trip last year. The Spartans are trending in the right direction and opened practice on Tuesday afternoon.
“I love beginnings, I think that the beginnings to things should have a real enthusiasm around them,” said Fralick, an Okemos native who turned around Bowling Green before heading home. “Every team gets to write its own story and while we’ve been together for a while now, there is something special about today. I want our team to feel that, I want us to embrace that and we get to kind of figure out who we are and who we get to become.”
Michigan State enters the season with a revamped lineup featuring eight returners and seven newcomers split between transfers and freshmen. The Spartans lost veteran leader Julia Ayrault but bring back two of their top three scorers in forward Grace VanSlooten (15.5) and Hallock (13.3) from a team that finished 22-10.
“Maturity, experience, serious – this group really works,” Fralick said. “I think a big part of our culture is hard work and I know that’s easy to say but you know when it’s happening. Those are things early that I’ve liked about our group. There’s a good blend of returners who have a real experience in what we do and how we play and then newcomers who have added a jolt of energy, enthusiasm to the group.”
Michigan State has a trio of players on the roster who won a gold medal over the summer with VanSlooten for Team USA in the FIBA AmeriCup, Ines Sotelo for Spain in the U20 EuroBasket Championship and Montana State transfer Marah Dykstra for Team Canada in 3-on-3 Junior Pan American Games.
“I think that’s incredible experience,” Fralick said. “We love winners. I think anytime you get kids who figure out how to win or are a part of winning teams and they can bring that back to our program here at Michigan State, that’s a really good thing.”
VanSlooten, who spent two seasons at Oregon before transferring to Michigan State last year and being named All-Big Ten second team, is a proven 6-foot-3 scorer and rebounder. She’s also got the experience of winning gold in Chile two months ago.
“Overseas basketball is a whole different game, super physical, really strong,” VanSlooten said. “I think to go over there with a team you might not know so well and still pull out a win, it talks a lot about our players just being able to play with all different lineups and different players and all that type of stuff.”
Hallock rebounded from a challenging freshman year to be named Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year as a sophomore then all-conference second team last season. She’s now heading into her final season with the program.
“I feel like everything’s gone by so fast but just to be in this moment is surreal,” Hallock said. “I’m just excited to continue to use my speed, keep shooting 3s and getting big boards on the defensive side and offensive side.”
The newcomers bring a mixture of experience and youth to a roster in flux. That lineup will face another difficult schedule.
The Big Ten’s expansion to 18 schools last year meant a big bump in the competition level. Michigan State was one of 12 conference schools to make the NCAA Tournament and the schedule doesn’t get any easier.
“One thing I feel like I’ve gotten better at the longer I’ve been in coaching is not trying to figure things out too fast,” Fralick said. “Letting things play out and seeing it for what it is and then putting kids in good spots.”
Tuesday marked the first official practice but there was a lot of work put in during the summer. New year, new team, new challenge to continue making progress at the highest level.
“I think we’re really excited about figuring out who we can be,” Fralick said. “Where we are right now and where we’re going to be isn’t the same. … We’re at the very beginning of that. I’ve liked this team’s eagerness, I’ve liked this team’s willingness to play together but we’ve got a long way to go still.”