As time ticked away on the 52-50 loss by Michigan State to Butler on April 3 in the NCAA National Semifinal game, one Spartan knew he had put on the green and white for the final time.
Despite the back-to-back Final Four appearances and all the prestige of playing at MSU, Tom Herzog was ready for a change. He just didn’t know where he would end up.
Fast track a couple of months and the Flint, Mich., native finds himself in the center — literally and figuratively — of Donnie Jones first recruiting class. The 7-foot-1 soon-to-be redshirt senior couldn’t be happier for the opportunity.
“I’m excited about basketball again,” Herzog said. “After four years and not really playing as much as I wanted at Michigan State, I was frustrated. Coming down here and playing, I feel like I have new life. I’m just really excited about that.”
After redshirting his first year in Lansing, Herzog never was a consistent member of coach Tom Izzo’s rotation. Despite being the No. 7-rated center by Rivals coming out of high school, Herzog only averaged more than five minutes per game once in his three years of action.
Even with the lack of playing time Herzog received, Jones is confident that his new center can be a significant contributor.
“He gives us a true center at 7-1,” Jones said. “He is experienced, being a part of two Final Fours on that team. He was a top 30 player in the county coming out of high school. Hopefully by the fall, when we are able to coach him a little bit, he’ll be thriving.”
Unlike most transfers from Division I programs, Herzog will play right away due to an NCAA provision. Athletes pursuing a graduate degree are able to transfer if that graduate program is not already offered by their current school and use whatever remaining eligibility they may have.
It is the same rule that allowed quarterback Brett Hodges to transfer from Wake Forest and play for UCF last season.
Shortly after committing to the Knights, Herzog was made aware of Hodges’ story, and he wants to follow a similar path to success.
Herzog will pursue a master’s degree in sports leadership and coaching after getting an undergraduate degree in applied engineering sciences from Michigan State. He was originally unaware that the chance to move schools and play immediately was available.
“I was just looking into any option that I could,” Herzog said. “When I found out that I could transfer to another school and work on my graduate degree. I was just real happy, because that option was a lot better than any of the other options I was looking at.”
UCF was able to convince Herzog to spend his final year of school in Orlando, beating out Bowling Green and others for his services. It was not a hard sell, according to the big man.
“I didn’t know anything about UCF before I came here, but when I came here on my visit, I fell in love with it,” he said. “I like the coaches, the guys that I’m with, the university and the atmosphere. I just really fell in love with it when I came down.”
After finishing up with his course work at MSU, Herzog enrolled at UCF in late June. The five other newcomers that join a team mostly intact from last season also arrived around the same time. That makes getting to know his teammates the most exciting part of these early weeks for Herzog.
“The guys have been real friendly to me,” he said. “It’s been real easy to fit in with them.”
Blending in with teammates always is a critical part of any newcomer’s journey. Herzog has been learning to play with the team in pick-up games the past month and thinks he has the skill set to fit right in.
“I’m going to be able to get up and down,” he said. “I’m going to be a defensive presence and block shots. I think I can do well in the pick-and-roll offense.”
When all is said and done, Herzog wants to remember this coming season for one word: contribution. While he stops short of making bold proclamations for himself as an individual, he hopes to play a large role in what his team does collectively. When it comes to his new team, Herzog has no such reservations on stating expectations.
“I think we have a real talented team,” he said. “We’ve got some real talented pieces coming back. Everyone is working pretty hard during the summer. We’ve added some new pieces and a coach who’s been successful in the past. I’d be really surprised if we didn’t compete for the Conference USA championship.”