On the outside, it may be difficult to understand why Herzog — a redshirt sophomore center from Flint who gained national attention at Powers Catholic High School — would be nervous around the game he loves and excels at. But after two years of battling nagging injuries and struggling to add weight to his 7-foot, 240-pound frame, Herzog — a four-star prospect and consensus top-10 center as a prep — is trying desperately to live up to the hype surrounding him and the career he envisioned for himself coming out of high school.

Unfortunately, now Herzog’s struggles have slowly gone to his head.

“I just get real anxious anytime I’m about to come to practice because I haven’t been playing that well and I don’t have the confidence and I want to do well so much,” Herzog said. “You know, I care about (basketball) so much that I put so much pressure on myself, and with so much pressure on myself I just get all nervous. When you play nervous, you don’t play as well.”

All the pressure felt by Herzog has led him to develop generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, which he said he began suffering from around the time he came to East Lansing in 2006.

According to WebMD, GAD is characterized by “excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events.” Among the causes of GAD can be environmental factors, such as changing schools. Considering Herzog came from Powers, a school with an 2008-09 enrollment of 637, to the supersized MSU campus, that seems to be the likely scenario.

Thanks to help through MSU athletics and Herzog growing more accustomed to his surroundings, he said this season has been the most productive as he works to gradually overcome GAD.

Although Herzog said his anxiety, as well as a badly sprained ankle near the beginning of the season, hindered his ability to work his way into the playing rotation this year, he’s not giving up hope for the future.

The same goes for MSU head coach Tom Izzo, who said Herzog loves the game more than any big man he’s ever had.

“He’s had some bad luck, and I don’t feel like we’re giving up on him, and I don’t think he’s giving up on us or his will to play,” Izzo said following his team’s final preseason game. “It’s all still a process and it’s definitely not coming as fast as I want it to or as he wants it to. … It’s not for a lack of work on his part or lack of work on our part.”

Although his development is taking longer, Herzog’s current goal is to completely overcome his anxiety and continue to add strength and weight. If he keeps working, Herzog is confident that, sooner or later, he’ll get his chance.

“I can’t dwell on the negative,” Herzog said.

“For me, every day now, I’m just trying to come to practice and get better, and even though I may not get in the playing group, I need to practice my game every day.”