Izzo praises Coen Carr, highlights improved shooting this offseason

Coen Carr has been known for his elite dunking ability, but this offseason he has been focusing on another part of his offensive game.

Carr is expected to be one of the top players on the Michigan State basketball team this upcoming season, and part of that is his improved shooting ability. We saw a notable jump in his shooting from his freshman to his sophomore year, and according to Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo we should expect another big jump from him next year.

“Coen Carr has become a better shooter,” Izzo said earlier this week following the Spartans’ first practice of the 2025-26 season. “He’s shooting the ball better. I think he’s improved, he’s gained some weight — good weight — which I didn’t think he even needed to so he’s stronger… He’s way better with the basketball so we think he can get to the rack a little bit more.”

Carr averaged 20.7 minutes per game this past season, where he averaged 8.1 points per game. He shot 33% from deep last year on 15 attempts, and it sounds like we can expect even more attempts from him this season.

This praise from Izzo for Carr is great to hear knowing he will be leaned on even more than before. It’s also something we should take seriously as Izzo isn’t one to hype up a player without there being true merit to it. This is great news all around for Michigan State as we approach the start of the season.

Check out the complete video of Izzo’s season-opening press conference below — courtesy of SpartanMag:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.