Matt McQuaid depended upon to be Spartans' top three-point threat

EAST LANSING — For a portion of the summer, Matt McQuaid wasn't able to do what he does best — shoot.

The sophomore guard suffered a double sports hernia midway through July that kept him sidelined for a couple weeks. He began shooting again in August, and by the beginning of the school year he was practicing and felt ready for the season, he said.

"The recovery went real well," he said. "The first couple weeks I really couldn't do anything, then after that I started rehabbing and getting my weight back up. Since school started I haven't missed anything since school started. It was a pretty quick recovery and I feel good."

McQuaid understands that his role entering the season is to make shots, and make a lot of them. Coach Tom Izzo said McQuaid will be a "key" this season as MSU lost its two best shooters from last season, Denzel Valentine and Bryn Forbes, to the NBA.

Izzo cited his game against Kansas last November, when McQuaid hit two late three-pointers to help the Spartans escape with a 79-73 victory.

"If you remember, McQuaid hit some big shots, he's done that a lot this year," Izzo said. "We've lost a lot of shooting this year, especially in Denzel and Bryn. I think we're going to gain a tremendous amount with some other guys, but especially Matt McQuaid is going to be a key."

McQuaid played a steady role last season, appearing in 35 games and averaging 3.5 points and 1.6 assists in 15.8 minutes a game.

A proven clutch shooter, McQuaid said he worked on quickening his release and correcting his footwork over the summer, and the result is a more consistent shot. He's also worked on becoming faster laterally on defense.

"I feel like my role this year is to knock down shots, bring energy, play good defense," he said. "Last year I had Bryn and (Denzel), I was feeding them shots, taking my shots when I was open. This year my job is to get out there, hit open shots, hit shots coming off screens."

Though McQuaid hit 41% of his three-point attempts, he only attempted 66 during the season. He said the coaching staff isn't trying to turn him into "Bryn 2.0," but Forbes' high percentage from behind the arc (48% on 233 attempts) is a good goal to set.

"Bryn was a really good shooter," McQuaid said. "I definitely look up to him. His consistency ... I want to try and get to it."

McQuaid has the trust of his teammates. Freshman forward Miles Bridges said McQuaid is the best shooter he's ever played with.

"If he's open, it's going in," Bridges said. "Every time I get doubled, when I see McQuaid I'm happy to give the ball to him because I know it's going to be an assist."