The sounds blasting over the speakers may have come from the past, but the faces on the floor reflected the future for the MSU men’s and women’s basketball teams.
At 10:30 p.m. Friday in Breslin Center, the two teams kickedoff their seasons with the Motown Lo‘Down, the midnight madness celebration of the first official practice of the season for each team.
Fans waited for more than an hour to be among the first to grab a seat and meet the players.
Packaging sophomore Matt Wahr waited an hour in line so he could try to meet freshman guard Kelvin Torbert, one of the young players expected to help the team overcome the loss of seven players from last year.
“If we had (the lost players), we’d be a lot better than we would be,” Wahr said. “But I think we’ll still do pretty good. The team won‘t be as elite as it was before, but I think we’ll do all right.”
The lower bowl of the Breslin Center was full when Mojo, a DJ from WWDX-FM (92.1) emerged from the tunnel, wearing a large afro wig and ’70s-style threads.
Mojo emceed the festivities, introducing the Spartan Marching Band, the cheerleading squads and MSU Motion. He also conducted several games for students to try and win coolers.
But the main event came at midnight, when the women’s basketball team was introduced to the fans. Each member walked down the aisles, dressed like the Supremes, to tunes from bands such as The Jackson 5 and The Temptations.
At 11:30 p.m., the men followed in similar suit. Each player descended the staircases to Motown tunes and eventually some modern music.
For the returning players, the beginning of this season had a distinctly different feel than it had in past years.
“The atmosphere was different,” sophomore guard Marcus Taylor said. “There’s a new excitement. There’s a lot of young guys and a lot of energy so it was a lot different for us.”
Head coach Tom Izzo came from the tunnel decked out in a red paisley sports jacket.
He took the microphone to address the fans and reassure them that this year’s team, which is ranked No. 12 in the ESPN.com preseason poll, will be just as talented as in years past.
“We expect the best,” Izzo said. “We are built for championships. We have great people that have paved the way and set standards here, and that won’t change just because we graduated five guys in the NBA.”
The players returned to the locker rooms and reappeared at midnight for the first official practice of the season.
The men conducted a 20-minute scrimmage that ended in a 37-37 tie, but showed fans that the new freshmen can hold their own.
“I’ve seen these guys for a while now, so it‘s not really surprising now,” Taylor said.
“But the freshmen really impressed me when they first came in here and played a few games.”
But Torbert, one of the new recruits, said he’s going to need time before the adjustment is complete.
“Get in, get in a couple of practice, I’ll get used to the college game a lot more,” Torbert said.
“The first time out here on the court there were a few jitterbugs.”
The women followed the men with a five minute game that ended in a 12-6 victory for sophomore guard Candice Jackson, freshman guard Cortne Ellis, junior center Jennifer Callier, sophomore forward Julie Pagel and freshman center Kelli Roehrig.
