EAST LANSING – Longwood University transfer center Szymon Zapala committed to Michigan State University on May 14
Thrilled to announce my commitment to Michigan State University! Proud to be a Spartan! Let’s get to work! pic.twitter.com/LkRyAHw305
— Szymon Zapala (@szymon_zapala) May 14, 2024
The 7-foot 240-pound center averaged 9.8 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game and had 29 blocks in his one season at Longwood. Before his season at Longwood, Zapala played three seasons at Utah State University.
He appeared in a low number of games as an Aggie totaling 13 his freshman season, 21 his sophomore season and 11 his junior season. Despite the low number of appearances, while at Utah State, Zapala shot 75% from the field as a junior and as a sophomore, he grabbed 38 rebounds.
This past season, Longwood claimed its conference title, the Big South Conference, beating the University of North Carolina Asheville to punch its ticket for the NCAA Tournament to take on No.1 Houston. In the Lancer’s defeat of UNC Asheville, Zapala put up 17 points and 7 boards.
Before his collegiate campaign, Zapala played for the Polish national team at the 2019 U18 FIBA European Championships and the team finished second.
The Zaborze, Poland native will bring much-needed size to MSU’s men’s basketball adding to the current frontcourt. He joins the other transfer, Frankie Fidler, and the three incoming freshmen, Jase Richardson, Kur Teng and Jesse McCulloch, to round out head coach Tom Izzo’s roster for the 2024-25 season.
