Gehrig Normand on the chemistry of the Michigan State men’s basketball team

Michigan State’s men’s basketball players have emphasized again and again this summer how close the current roster has become.

Even with a handful of newcomers, freshmen Jase Richardson, Kur Teng and Jesse McCulloch and transfers Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala, this new Michigan State team has built a strong bond.

Michigan State player Gehrig Normand discussed the team’s unity when he joined “The Drive with Jack” on Friday.

“I think it’s a tight group already,” Normand said. “I mean, we’ve just been hanging out all summer and just forming groups — I mean, everybody’s been hanging out with everybody. That’s the best part, there’s not really groups. There’s not two, three guys hanging out together. I mean, we’re all hanging out with everybody.

“And so it’s a really fun group to be around. It couldn’t be better. I mean, it was definitely very different from last year. Just based on the trip to Spain and everything that’s planned, I think we’re really excited and excited to make this happen.”

Several players have used the word “family” to describe this group, which was a big reason why newcomers like Teng decided to join the Spartans.

“It was really a family-oriented program,” Teng told me this week at the 2024 Moneyball Pro-Am. “Just like coaches, everyone’s close. When I went to visit, the team took me in, it was just perfect.”