EAST LANSING — Since her arrival in the Michigan State women's basketball program, Theryn Hallock has been used to being on the court.
From finding a role as a freshman in the 2022-23 season, to being the Big Ten's top reserve as a sophomore, Hallock found a way to use her physical skills to help the Spartans have success.
But that wasn't the case last season for the guard.
A foot injury limited Hallock to just eight games last season, forcing her to view things from a different perspective.
And now that Hallock is back for one last season, she hopes to use that new perspective gained a year ago from watching to help the Spartans this winter.
"It's been great (being back)," Hallock said during the Spartans' media day Tuesday, Oct. 27. "I've been itching to get back out there. I hated being hurt but I also think it was a blessing in disguise. I learned a lot about myself, the coaches, the team and what I could bring when I come back. For the first time I had to be selfish and put myself first to get my body and mind right. I'm excited for people to see who I am coming back out there and what I'm bringing to the team."
The return of Hallock for a fifth season is a big boost for a Spartan squad that features nine newcomers. She is one of the most experienced players on the roster with 100 career games under her belt and has averaged double-digits scoring each of the last three seasons while being part of NCAA tournament squads. Hallock earned postseason Big Ten recognition both as a sophomore and junior and is closing in on reaching 1,000 career points.
But just as important as her ability on the court for MSU is her leadership.
"I think the leadership piece is really important," Hallock said. "I've been a Spartan through and through. This is my fifth year going into it. I have high expectations for myself on the court, but my main takeaway is the thing that is most important to me is the relationships and not having regrets with that.
"I want the freshmen and the younger people to look up to me and say I can trust you and she's going to give her 100% and that she's going to be there for me no matter what. I always tell them I'm going to have their back no matter what and I want them to feel that."
Fourth-year MSU coach Robyn Fralick noticed growth from Hallock in her season plagued by injury. Hallock made it a point to sit by the coaches while being injured because she wanted to know what their discussions were and how she could relay that to her teammates.
"As challenging as last year was for her, I've also seen a ton of growth from a perspective and ability to just see things differently as well," Fralick said. "Our leadership has really grown through that. Her ability to get to the next play has really grown through that. She's still getting her timing and rhythm and all of that — that will come back. Her speed has always been there.
"The perspective that she got being out to me has been just a huge growth for her. I'm really proud of her for that. Obviously we're excited to have her back on the court."
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Theryn Hallock back from injury with new perspective for MSU women's basketball