“Feed me,” cried the rapidly growing Venus flytrap, Audrey Jr., to nerdy plant shop assistant Seymour - played by Rick Moranis - when in need of nourishment in the cult classic film “Little Shop of Horrors.”
The large self-proclaimed “mean green mother from outer space” was hungry for human flesh, and it didn’t hesitate to be vocal about it either.
That’s the mindset Andre Hutson should take in the remaining six games of the Big Ten regular season and both the conference and NCAA tournaments.
Shooting 68.5 percent (39-of-54) during the past seven games and leading both the conference and team in field-goal percentage, the 6-foot-8 senior forward needs to be “fed” the ball more by teammates.
Hutson looked impressive early in MSU’s 77-66 loss to Illinois on Tuesday, scoring six of MSU’s first seven points. He finished the game with eight points in the final 33 minutes and attempted only nine shots in the game.
“I give a little bit of credit to Illinois, but I can’t give them too much,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said of the Illini defense containing Hutson. “We just didn’t do a good job of getting him the ball. I just think we got too one-dimensional on the perimeter in the game.”
The ex-high school quarterback, who has scored in double figures in 18 of MSU’s 21 games, realizes he has to get more aggressive.
“I need to get a little open for myself more and find some shots,” Hutson said after Thursday’s practice - focused on pounding the ball inside for layups and kick-outs to open shooters. “I think as long as we are playing well as a team, with us shooting the ball well, it will be a lot more easier to me.”
As one of the Spartans’ senior leaders, Hutson has been an immense help in the development of both freshman center Zach Randolph and sophomore forward Al Anagonye this season.
He’s helped toughen up Randolph’s play in the paint against one of the nation’s most physical conferences and has helped Anagonye improve on the defensive end and limit his fouls.
Hutson’s also been one of the bright spots this season, extending his shooting range out to 15 feet while also showing versatility on the defensive end, guarding different types of players ranging in different levels of size, strength and speed.
Now it’s time for him to be more assertive and for his teammates to give him better opportunities to score.
There is nobody questioning Hutson’s toughness, especially in huge games such as last year’s dramatic postseason wins over Syracuse and Iowa State, where he guarded the opponents’ best post player.
Hell, he had 10 points and grabbed nine boards in the Jan. 13 home win against Wisconsin - playing with only a 60 to 70 percent lung capacity because of pneumonia.
But he still has a fundamentally sound offensive arsenal that hasn’t reached its full potential, which can make all the difference in getting the Spartans back to Big Ten title contention.
Fellow MSU teammates, don’t forget about ’Dre.
Eric Lacy, a State News men’s basketball reporter who says his “One Shining Moment” would be to toss an alley-oop pass to Hutson, can be reached at lacyeric@msu.edu.
