Former Everett Star Goran Suton Returns to Michigan State Basketball—But This Time, He’s Holding a Surprising New Role

Goran Suton is back home.

 Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.Contact Chris Solari:[email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.Suton — who became an American citizen in 2006 — was a second-round pick of the Utah Jazz in 2009 but never played in the NBA. After spending 10 years with six teams across Europe (and finishing with career averages of 8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds) from 2009-19, Suton had been living in Florida and worked as a realtor since 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Suton is the latest former Tom Izzo player to rejoin the program in a coaching capacity. MSU’s current staff includes assistant coaches Thomas Kelley and Suton’s former teammate Austin Thornton, as well as Dr. Lorenzo Guess, the team’s director of athletic performance. Other Izzo-era former Spartans who have returned to his staff include Tum Tum Nairn, now the associate head coach at Bowling Green after serving as a graduate assistant in 2019-20 following his playing career.

The former Michigan State basketball star has returned to the program as a graduate assistant for the 2025-26 season after spending more than a decade playing internationally.There’s something truly special about a homecoming, especially when it’s as poignant as Goran Suton’s return to Michigan State basketball. After over a decade weaving his way through European courts and a post-playing career in real estate, the Bosnian-born, Lansing-raised standout is stepping back into the MSU fold — not just as a fan, but as a graduate assistant for the upcoming season. At nearly 40, Suton’s journey from Everett High to the Final Four, and now to mentoring the next generation under Tom Izzo’s storied program, feels like a perfect full-circle moment. It’s more than a mere staffing update—it’s the rekindling of a legacy, a bridge between past glories and future hopes. If you’re intrigued by how former Spartans continue to shape the green and white today, you’ll want to dive deeper. LEARN MORE

Suton, a native of Bosnia whose family moved to Lansing and graduated from Everett High in 2004, turns 40 in August. He was a second-team All-Big Ten pick as a senior and the 2009 NCAA Tournament’s Midwest regional Most Outstanding Player, helping MSU reach the Final Four and national championship game in Detroit. The 6-foot-10 forward is one of just eight players in program history with 1,000 points and 800 career rebounds, averaging 8.1 points and 6.6 rebounds over 134 games between 2005-09.