Captains: Kimball and VanSlooten Lead the Spartans On and Off the Court
12/30/2025 3:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Michigan State women's basketball team quietly re-tooled during the off-season, adding seven new players to this season's roster. Head Coach Robyn Fralick wants the whole team to work together, with great leadership coming from within.
Seniors Abbey Kimball and Grace VanSlooten are the leaders of Spartans, voted by their peers to be captains this season.
"A coach-led team can only be so good, but a player-led team can really reach their ceiling," said Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick.
Kimball, a senior guard from Grand Rapids, has been on the Spartans' roster all four years of her collegiate career. While she may not be a starter, she plays a major role in helping the team succeed.
"Abbey does a really great job off the court with connecting with people," said VanSlooten. "People really trust her and go to her to talk about stuff, so she really helps connect the team off the court."
VanSlooten was born in Toledo, Ohio, but she played high school basketball at IMG Academy in Florida. She started her college career at Oregon before transferring to MSU. She is now a senior forward playing in her second year, and has garnered respect from the moment she started putting on the Michigan State uniform.
"Grace, first and foremost, she's a competitor and she outworks so many people. Every game day, every practice, before, after, she's always working, she has a relentless effort and work ethic; it's unbelievable to just come in and see her work as hard as she does. I mean, she's dripping sweat before practice even starts, so she definitely leads by example," said Kimball.
Both captains have had different paths to get here. However, that is what makes their ability to lead so special. They have different perspectives that help them relate and solve almost any problem that a college athlete can go through.
In an era of college athletics where stability and continuity are hard to find, it is even more important to have captains with the experience to deal with the troubles that come with constantly changing rosters and players learning new systems, skills, and roles.
"I think that having two types of leaders clashes really well with our team because we are fun and goofy, but we can also get down to business," said Kimball. "I think that both of us relay that on two different levels. We have a stable foundation, and we know what Michigan State is and we have been here for a few years so just helping lead the young people and the transfers coming in is a big strength for us because we know what to do to win."
Teams with good leadership and hard work ethic are able to go into games and not miss a beat because of what they do before and after the ball is tipped.
"It is an honor to be voted as captain and I think it shows a lot about what the team thinks, feels, and expects of them," said Fralick. "The standard is the standard, and we have higher expectations for Abbey and Grace to not only bring that themselves but to also make sure that they are reinforcing that with the team."
