COLUMN: Suzy Merchant's legacy extends much further than the basketball court
Suzy Merchant’s tenure as head coach of the MSU women’s basketball program has come to an end.
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Suzy Merchant’s tenure as head coach of the MSU women’s basketball program has come to an end.
After 16 seasons and a lasting legacy at Michigan State, head women’s basketball coach Suzy Merchant announced that she will be stepping down effective immediately due to health reasons. The decision was a mutual one with athletic director Alan Haller."It is with a heavy heart that I announce I am stepping down from Michigan State University due to health reasons,” Merchant said in a statement. “After much consideration and consultation with my healthcare providers, I have come to the difficult decision that it is in my best interest. I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the entire Michigan State community, including the administration, faculty, and staff.”The Michigan native was hired as head coach on April 30, 2007 after nine years at Eastern Michigan, where she became to winningest head coach in program history. During her time at MSU, Merchant held an 327-186 all-time record, went to 10 NCAA tournaments and brought home two Big Ten titles for the green and white. Merchant became the fastest MSU coach to hit 100 wins and is the second-winningest head coach for the Spartan women — just 49 wins shy of the 376 from MSU Hall of Famer Karen Langeland.
Michigan State found out yesterday afternoon that it will head down to Columbus as a No. 7 seed to take on No. 10 seed USC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With a day of scouting the opponent and additional player meetings, head coach Tom Izzo took to the podium to discuss the upcoming tournament.
Michigan State athletics announced Monday afternoon that head women's basketball coach Suzy Merchant would be stepping down from her role as head coach effective immediately.
On Dec. 10, junior guard Davis Smith collected his first career points in the Spartans' contest against Brown. With 1:43 winding down on the game clock, Smith drove to the right of the basket and released a shot that hit the glass before falling through the net, putting the Spartans up by 13 and Davis on the stat sheet.
It’s March and Michigan State is dancing. The Spartans are heading to Columbus, Ohio as a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, taking on No. 10 seed USC this Friday at 12:15 p.m.
During Sunday's NCAA selection show following the conclusion of conference tournament play, it was announced that No. 7 seed Michigan State will take on the soon to be Big Ten conference team, No. 10 seed USC in the East region first round.
Michigan State went into the Big Ten Tournament with an offense firing on all cylinders and a defense that had shown upside early in the year. Head men's basketball coach Tom Izzo stressed balance heading into the post-season, hoping to keep up that offensive flow but bring back some of that strong defense that was present for a majority of the season.
The Spartans entered the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament eager to overcome No. 13 seed Ohio State for the third time this season, just five days after the two last met in East Lansing.
Michigan State men’s basketball traded in its usual home floor for the notorious United Center on Friday afternoon for the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. The No. 4 seed Spartans took on No. 13 seed Ohio State in the Buckeyes third straight day of hoops in Chicago. Ultimately, inconsistency cost the Spartans a chance at the tournament title, allowing the Buckeyes to advance to the semifinals after a 68-58 victory.
After a wild Sunday of Big Ten basketball, the dust of the regular season has settled and Michigan State is officially the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. It took some outside help, but a top four finish gives MSU a double-bye.
MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo met with the media ahead of the tournament quarterfinals on Friday afternoon to discuss the latest matchups and what’s to come.
Michigan State has been named the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, earning a double-bye.
Just a few short weeks ago, Michigan State took on Ohio State on a lazy Sunday afternoon in Columbus. It was a comically ugly affair. Both teams shot under 50% from the field (OSU shot just 28.3%) and bricks were aplenty. Neither offense could really put together consistent offensive series.
For Michigan State men’s basketball outlasted Ohio State 84-78 to complete the series sweep this season. To make the victory even more meaningful, the Spartans were able to do it in front of their home crowd on senior day.
Michigan State wrapped up the regular season Saturday afternoon with a 84-78 senior day win over Ohio State.
Michigan State women’s basketball put up a strong fight against one of the best teams in the country, the Indiana Hoosiers, in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament, but ultimately fell in the final minutes.
The Michigan State women’s basketball team went down swinging during their down-to-the-wire 94-85 loss to No. 1 Indiana in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament.The Spartans held the advantage over the Hoosiers for most of the game, but the talented Indiana squad was able to regain control late in the second half to come out on top. A large part of the reason Michigan State was able to stay in the game for so long against a team like No. 1 seeded Indiana was the stellar performance from graduate student guard Kamaria McDaniel. McDaniel has been a constant fixture in the green and white during her one year in East Lansing, leading the Spartans in scoring with an average of 14.2 points per game. Friday afternoon was no different. McDaniel led all players in scoring and notched a season-high 32 points. Following the loss, McDaniel attributed a lot of her offensive success to the plays the rest of the Spartans were able to make on the other side of the court. “My teammates are amazing at giving me the ball, and we got defensive stops which opened up the open court and getting them fast breaks,” McDaniel said. “We were getting stops, and that was helping them momentum. When you're playing good defense, and your teammates are getting you the ball, I'm just able to kind of be myself and be that scorer that you know I've been.” Against Indiana McDaniel drove through to the net, fought through contact and even hit a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc—in what will most likely be her final collegiate game. McDaniel was just three rebounds away from a double-double against the Hoosiers and grabbed the second most of any player on the floor—second only to senior guard Moira Joiner.MSU women's basketball acting head coach Dean Lockwood said that McDaniel is the type of player they want consistently shooting the ball no matter how many she may miss.“When she goes strong, and she plays with a high level of efficiency—Kamaria—she can score points. That was what she did today,” Lockwood said. “She took great shots, she attacked the basket, she took the shots when she was open, and again, she just played to who she was. That's again, so important for any player in any team. She was exactly true to who she was.” The Spartan’s time in the Big Ten Tournament came to a close Friday afternoon, but the possibility of an NCAA Tournament game is still up in the air. While MSU currently sits outside of the tournament bubble on ESPN's bracketology, the team will officially learn its fate Sunday at 8 p.m. on ESPN's selection show.
In Michigan State’s final road matchup of the regular season, the Spartans outlasted Nebraska 80-67 after a late second half comeback. The green and white played a puzzling first half, unable to sort things out especially on the offensive end of the floor.
Despite a heroic 32-point and seven rebound effort from graduate student guard Kamaria McDaniel, Michigan State women’s basketball wasn’t able to knock off the second best team in the country in the Indiana Hoosiers. The Spartans ultimately fell to the No. 1 seeded Hoosiers 94-85.