Yes, the season didn’t end the way fans had hoped, and yes, MSU will lose another talented class of seniors. But the Spartans’ future still looks bright.
Overlooked by all the praise and farewell of the winningest class in Big Ten history lies a class of freshmen that have the talent to challenge every record in the books.
“It’s going to be a lot different next year losing those guys,” freshman guard Marcus Taylor said. “But we’re looking forward to making another championship run.”
Talk of championship runs may sound premature, but MSU can overcome the loss of such stars as guard Charlie Bell and forward Andre Hutson. It was just last year the Spartans lost Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson, yet returned to the Final Four for the third-straight year, thanks largely in part to its freshman class.
Taylor and center Zach Randolph are the only true freshmen in the class, but redshirt forwards Jason Andreas and Adam Wolfe are still included in MSU’s 2000-01 freshman class.
Andreas and Wolfe saw limited action all season, but played valuable roles in practice while Taylor and Randolph each averaged around 20 minutes a game throughout the season.
In the NCAA Tournament, both Taylor and Randolph impressed critics across the country, and in Saturday’s 80-61 semifinal loss to Arizona it was clear the freshmen have the talent to play with the best in college basketball.
“We knew that Randolph and Taylor were good players,” Arizona center Loren Woods said. “They’ll be a good team for a few more years.”
Playing against Woods, Randolph posted 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed five rebounds.
“I thought Zach played extremely well,” MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. “It wasn’t just what he did, it was what he said, it was how he came along. Zach might have grown more than any player on our team (Saturday).”
That’s both good and bad for Spartan fans, as the temptations of the NBA linger on Randolph’s horizon. After averaging 11 points and 6.8 rebounds during the regular season and a good showing throughout the tournament, the Marion, Ind., native is contemplating the big question.
“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “I’ll talk with my family, my coach and the people who are in my best interest.”
Randolph’s decision whether to stay is a big key to MSU’s future success, but so is the continued development of Taylor.
Taylor said despite the loss, the semifinals provided a valuable learning experience for the freshmen.
“You learn a lot from a loss,” he said. “Especially in a situation like this. It’s a chance of a lifetime to win a championship.”
“This tournament has been great for both Marcus and Zach, and I think you’re going to see them explode into the college basketball world next year as maybe two of the better players in the country,” Izzo said.
