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Izzo: players staying, tough schedule, injuries

April 13, 2005
MSU junior center Paul Davis, left, puts up a shot over North Carolina forward Sean May in the Final Four game on April 2 in St. Louis. MSU head coach Tom Izzo wants Davis to work on upper body strength during the summer. —

As summer approaches, many questions swirl about the MSU men's basketball team's next season. MSU head coach Tom Izzo sat down with reporters on Tuesday to fill in the gaps.

Izzo said he met with his players and called NBA offices to see if his top three NCAA Tournament scorers - Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Paul Davis - would have a shot at getting drafted.

"Right now, I don't see anything that would alarm me," Izzo said.

He said all three have a shot at playing on summer teams such as USA Basketball. Izzo said he wants Brown to improve his ball handling, Davis to work on upper body strength and Ager to add 10 to 12 pounds to "get his body where his skills are."

Although Izzo said he understands he often is mentioned as a "token college coach" when NBA teams are looking for coaches, he said he hasn't been contacted for those jobs.

"I have no plans of doing anything right now," Izzo said. "But I don't sit there and say things that are untrue. I don't say I would never do anything because I don't know what is out there. I'm not looking for anything."

Adding an assistant

Izzo said he received a lot of interest in the assistant coaching job left open when Doug Wojcik took the Tulsa head coaching job.

"It's an important hire for me because I'd like to get a guy with good experience, and I like a few young guys," Izzo said.

Both current assistants Mark Montgomery and Dwayne Stephens have the experience to take the lead spot as well, Izzo said. He said he also will take a look at former college head coaches.

But Izzo is heading out on the road for the next few weeks to recruit and will hire a new coach after he returns.

He said he's focusing mostly on the 2006-07 recruiting class since at least Davis and Ager will be gone by then. The Spartans also have two scholarships unused for next season.

Summer will be key

Both incoming freshmen Maurice Joseph and Travis Walton had good high school seasons and should play important roles next season, Izzo said.

Many former players have made their biggest strives during the summer, which worries Izzo since several players are dealing with injuries.

Redshirt freshman Marquise Gray still needs a few weeks before he can get back to running, but is healing quickly. Izzo said he'd like to get Gray on a summer team with the Big Ten for experience.

Sophomore forward Drew Naymick likely will have shoulder surgery in the next week to fix what Izzo calls a "sloppy shoulder" that has hampered Naymick and kept him from lifting weights.

Freshman guard Drew Neitzel and sophomore forward Delco Rowley also will likely have minor surgeries in coming weeks to fix sports hernias, a condition Ager has suffered in the past, Izzo said.

"I don't see that as being anything that will affect their year except the summer has been important for us," Izzo said.

An exotic schedule

The Spartans will compete in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 21-23, featuring Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Kansas, Maryland and Chaminade.

With Connecticut already ranked No. 1 by some analysts and with Chaminade having a 16-11 record this past season, Izzo was so impressed by the field he made sure to write down all the teams on a notecard for his press conference.

"It's going to be the most incredible field I've ever seen," Izzo said.

The Spartans also will play Hawaii on their way to Maui, mostly to get a game in before the tournament, Izzo said.

"We felt it important to get a game under our belt, and we can't open until that day," Izzo said.

The Spartans have not finalized an opponent for the third annual Spartan Clash at The Palace of Auburn Hills, but Izzo said they are considering Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech. No details have been released on the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Because of the Maui Invitational, the Spartans won't play Kansas again until possibly the 2006-07 season, Izzo said. Also, the team is trying to finalize a four-year deal to play Kentucky starting in 2006, Izzo said.

Izzo said he expects eight Big Ten teams to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament next season, making it one of the top conferences in the nation. He said the Big Ten schedule starts with two home games against Illinois and Wisconsin.

"I'm thinking it will be the best conference in the country, I'm hoping," Izzo said.

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