After Lucas’ look at Carlos Medlock Jr. on Friday, we’re continuing our preview series of new basketball players with a look at the Spartans’ only transfer (at least so far) for 2026-27: Anton Bonke.
Bonke’s background is pretty interesting. He was born in the Netherlands but moved with his mother to Port Vila, Vanuatu, when he was three. Bonke grew up in Port Vila and I had to figure out where that is:
So, it’s an island north of New Zealand and between Australia and Fiji:
And, apparently, it’s not
easy to get to East Lansing from Vanuatu:
Making it even harder, Bonke comes to MSU by way of Eastern Arizona Junior College, Providence College, and the University of Charlotte.
One of our readers posted this Q&A with Bonke from his time at Eastern Arizona JC and there is this all-access video from the 2025-2026 season at Charlotte:
In both sources, Bonke discusses growing up in Vanuatu and how his mom got him involved in several sports as a kid. One of which was rowing – a sport most people don’t care about. I get it. But hear me out for just a moment, please.
Training for rowing often takes place early in the morning, requiring a lot of discipline from a younger person. Its repetitive motion requires those who want to be good at it to hone in on, and strive to improve, the finer details of the sport. Specifically this includes:
- How the blades of the oars enter and exit the water,
- The sequencing of body movements that propel the boat with oars in the water, and
- One’s ability to control the body to avoid disturbing the boat, allowing it glide when the oars are out of the water.
In addition to good endurance, rowers generally possess full-body strength, but specifically in the lower body, and leverage – things that could probably help greatly when trying to carve out space in the paint or cutting out for a rebound.
Despite being a good rower, Bonke’s passion shifted to basketball while in Port Vila. There just weren’t a lot of options to play hoops competitively. Bonke settled for watching NBA games until he could start playing on a team after graduating high school at age 16. He had a family connection in Davis, CA, so Bonke moved there and eventually caught on at Eastern Arizona.
After a year at the JUCO level, Bonke moved to Providence College where he had a pretty limited role. During the 2024-25 season with the Friars, he averaged 6.5 minutes, 1.3 points, and 1.2 rebounds per game over 16 appearances with one start.
Bonke’s production increased immensely last year at Charlotte, however, where he averaged 10.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game. Bonke played in all 34 games for the 49ers, with 32 starts. He shot 57.6% from the floor and 34.2% (13-38) on threes.
Charlotte finished the year an even .500 at 17-17 overall and 9-9 in the American Conference. The 49ers finished tied for fifth place in the 13 team league. South Florida, Tulsa, Wichita State, and UAB took the top four spots. So how did Bonke do against those teams and Virginia Tech – the only high-major out-of-conference team Charlotte played last season?
Bonke’s stat line in these nine games is pretty similar to the season overall.
His high minutes were the 41 in the double overtime win against Wichita State on January 3. Bonke scored 25 in a win at Temple on January 28, 20 in a loss to Temple on December 30, and 20 again in a loss at Florida Atlantic on March 1.
Overall, Bonke scored in double figures in 20 of 34 games for the 49ers last season. Charlotte was 10-10 in games in which Bonke reached double figures in points and 7-7 in games where he did not. It seems like the 49ers were just going to be a .500 team regardless last year.
So how will this translate to MSU and the Big Ten?
Size-wise, at least, pretty favorably. Bonke is 7 feet, 2 inches tall and either 260 or 270 pounds, depending on which source you look at. Comparing him to several centers he could square up against in the Big Ten:
- Daniel Jacobsen, Purdue: 7-4, 250
- Aday Mara, Michigan: 7-3, 255
- Samet Yigitoglu, Indiana: 7-2, 270
- Moustapha Thiam, Michigan: 7-2, 250
- Zvonimir Ivisic, Illinois: 7-2, 245
- Eric Reibe, USC: 7-1, 260
- Tomislav Ivisic, Illinois: 7-1, 255
- Aiden Sherrell, Indiana: 6-11, 255
Note that this list includes players who have transferred in to, or could return to, the teams listed above.
This interesting stat also puts Bonke in pretty good company:
Tom Izzo is obviously a believer and recently had this to say on the Drive with Jack podcast:
“We just think this kid has a little bit of everything. He’s tough, he’s got size, he can shoot the 3. We’ll see what happens but we feel like we got ourselves a very good player that is going to really help us.”
Also, according to Izzo, the Spartans had to beat out some competitors to land Bonke. In an article posted on Mlive, Izzo said he thought the Spartans might lose him to Kansas. So, Izzo apparently isn’t the only one who is high on Bonke’s potential. Interestingly, the same Mlive article from Matt Wenzel notes that Bonke has entered his name in the NBA draft (while retaining his college eligibility) – something that doesn’t seem to be mentioned much – but Izzo expects him to be in the Green & White next season.
Let’s close this out with a few video clips of Bonke in action for Charlotte last season and you can judge for yourself if you think his game will translate to the Big Ten.
Here is Bonke staying with his man and forcing him away from the basket as he attempts to drive and then ending the scoring threat for good with a nice rejection:
Here we see Bonke’s three point stroke:
And also a nice mid-range game:
Finally, we see that good lower body strength and some nice footwork pay off with some points in the paint:
I didn’t know anything about Anton Bonke before starting this article but I’m going to end it with some hopefulness. This guy seems to have come a long way in a short time playing organized basketball. Perhaps, in some ways, this is where the transfer portal can be good. A guy worked hard to get in a position to come to the United States and, in a few years, has worked his way from Eastern Arizona Junior College to a team with Final Four aspirations.
Izzo has called him “tough” and his demeanor in the all-access video from Charlotte seems to indicate that he’ll be able to take it if and when he experiences some “hard coaching” at MSU.
He appears to have an offensive skill set that can provide buckets in the paint and stretch the floor.
Perhaps Bonke will struggle initially with the defensive demands at MSU and in adjusting to the top-level of college basketball but he’s been making adjustments that have worked for him since he was 16 years old.
Welcome to East Lansing, Anton. Let’s make a run.
