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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.
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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:
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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….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/closer-look-newest-biggest-spartan-110000350.html
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Publish date : 2026-04-26 11:00:00
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