Jason Andreas?

Adam Wolfe?

That was the response given to the two freshmen ballers when they spoke to the more than 25,000 fans packed inside Spartan Stadium after winning the national championship.

Perhaps it was being overshadowed by players like Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and senior guard Charlie Bell. Or, maybe it was that both players never set foot on the hardwood, instead watching from the bench - redshirted.

Remarkably, despite the absence of playing time, neither felt as though they weren’t part of the team.

“Coach Izzo sat both Adam and I down in his office and said, ‘You’re going to do everything with the team. You’re going to eat with the team, travel with the team, warm up with the team. Everything,’” Andreas said.

Still, Andreas admits that watching last year’s championship run was difficult.

“Certainly it was tough because that is something you dream about all your life - especially going to the national championship game of the Final Four,” he said. “But it was just a blessing to be there - to sit on the bench in awe and just look at the crowd and soak in the atmosphere.”

With the start of the 2000-2001 season, it has been nearly two years since either player has suited up for a real game - the last time being their senior years of high school.

During that time, Andreas averaged 14 points and 7.5 rebounds at Garaway High School in Sugar Creek, Ohio. Wolfe posted better numbers, averaging 23 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots as a Westerville South High School Wildcat in Westerville, Ohio.

Being Ohio natives, some may wonder why Andreas or Wolfe chose to play at MSU.

The players, the team atmosphere, the coaches, the campus; Andreas felt the choice was an obvious one, “no questions about it.”

Despite strong family ties to Ohio State - Andreas’ father, Dan, and uncle, Bill, both lettered in basketball with the Buckeyes - Andreas instead chose MSU as a place to shine - on his own.

“A lot of people think that my family would pressure me into going to Ohio State, that my dad would want me to go to Ohio State,” Andreas said. “But one of the first things he said when the recruiting started was that there was no pressure - that the decision was mine and that he would help me in any way that he could.”

After visiting other schools, Andreas chose MSU as his home for the next four years.

Now here, both players are striving to make a name for themselves.

After scoring 21 points in the Green and White game and another seven in an exhibition game against Northern Michigan, Wolfe is getting some attention.

“Wolfe has really been one of our surprises in that he’s been consistently shooting the ball as well as he has,” said head coach Tom Izzo. “I think he is definitely going to help us.”

In fact, his preseason performance has actually gained him some comparisons with last year’s standout, A.J. Granger.

“Thinking of the same stage when A.J. was a freshman, they’re basically the same,” said assistant coach Mike Garland. “I’ve seen that.”

Despite the comparison, Garland said Wolfe has a long way to go before he can be put in the same light of Granger’s performance last year.

While Wolfe admits he is honored by the comparison, he realizes there is room for improvement.

“I really don’t know what my potential is and maybe nobody else does either,” Wolfe said. “I just hope I can be as good a player as A.J. was.”

Although a lot of the focus is on Wolfe’s performance, Izzo said Andreas is also of value to the team.

“Right now he’s a little farther behind, mostly because of the injury, but the position he plays may be more valuable right now, especially if (sophomore forward Aloysius) Anagonye or (sophomore forward Adam) Ballinger is out,” Izzo said.

Despite the praise, Wolfe and Andreas admit their games are not as strong as they would like.

“I have to improve,” Wolfe said. “I’m still learning a lot, especially at the beginning of this year, now that I’m expected to play, expected to contribute.”

That is not to say that either player was not expected to contribute last year. Despite their lack of playing time, each had an active role in practice - getting the team ready for its next opponent.

“There is a big difference between last year and this year,” Andreas said. “Last year we were there and we were active in practice, but we kind of sat back and absorbed everything. This year we’re out there and we have to be more vocal, we have to be leaders out there on the court.”