EAST LANSING, Mich. — Jaxon Kohler is the prototypical example of how college basketball used to be.
As a four-star recruit from American Fork, Utah, Kohlerchose Michigan State over plenty of other opportunities, including Iowa, USC, BYU, Illinois, Kansas, and others. He stuck it out over four seasons with the program, getting better each and every year.
Kohlerhas played quite a bit of basketball. When he takes the court against Rutgers for his final home game, it will be his 122nd career appearance and his 64th start (all of those have been in the last two seasons).
Those first three seasons at MSU have allowed Kohler to climb to this point. His senior year has been his best year, as he’s averaging 12.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He’s developed a three-point shot, is as crafty in the post as any big man in the Big Ten, and is unabashedly one of the Spartans’ most vocal leaders.
Watching someone steadily grow year-over-year is supposed to be what makes college sports fandom rewarding, and Kohler is an example of that that is getting more and more rare.
Jaxon Kohler Media Availability
Kohler’s Favorite Games at the Breslin
Kohler has seen a lot of memorable moments during his four years at Michigan State. Those two years as an underclassman, where he was largely in a bench role when healthy, were two down years for MSU’s standards. But since Kohler became a full-time starter last year, he’s gotten to enjoy a 54-12 (.818) overall record, as well as a 31-7 (.816) mark during Big Ten regular season play…