Senior guard Keith Appling looks around during the game against Michigan on Jan. 25, 2014, at Breslin Center. The Spartans lost to the Wolverines, 80-75. Julia Nagy/The State News
Two days after sitting in the locker room with tears in his eyes after losing to Michigan, senior guard Keith Appling was nearly all smiles at Monday’s press conference.
But just because he was wearing a smile doesn’t mean the pain of MSU’s 80-75 loss has gone away.
“That’s a game not only myself, but my teammates wanted that win very badly,” Appling said. “Not only for the team and the Big Ten season, but for all the guys that came back to support us. It is just one game … the way I felt after that game I never want to feel again. We just have to use it for motivation.”
The display of emotion after Saturday’s win produced more than tears — it also showed head coach Tom Izzo that his senior guard understands his time as a Spartan is almost up.
Izzo went as far to say that Appling’s reaction to the hard-fought loss reminded him of former Spartan guard Mateen Cleaves.
“You know Keith, he’s not a real emotional guy, he’s kind of quiet, and when he walked into that locker room, the first thing I said in my mind is ‘Keith is growing up, he’s starting to get it,’” Izzo said. “He’s starting to realize the 3,817 times I’ve said that the window is very small, and there is a lot of things in life you get a second chance on, and there are some things you don’t.”
Beating Michigan at home is a second chance Appling will never get, but Izzo went on to say the sense of urgency by the players is the reason teams and programs grow.
Unfortunately for Izzo, something that inevitably seems to grow is the list of injuries. While he hasn’t missed a game this season, Appling’s wrist has been noticeably bothering him for the last few weeks.
Izzo said that keeping him out a game isn’t likely, but he is the one holding him back in two practices last week to also rest his ailing hip and back.
“(The wrist) was bad and then it got better,” Izzo said. “The number of falls and hits he takes, giving him a week off isn’t necessary – it would help his hip and his body, but it’s not gonna help his wrist. Because the minute he falls on it again, I can’t give him a month off.”
No Payne in Iowa?
“Slim to none to none.”
Sorry Spartan fans, but that is what Izzo said of Adreian Payne’s chances to play on the road against No. 12 Iowa on Tuesday night.
The latest update in Payne’s road back to the court is being able to run on 80 percent of his body weight using a high-tech treadmill.
As for how close he is getting to suiting up again for the Spartans, Izzo is hoping to see him back to 100 percent by next week.
“I’m hoping by the end of next week, he’s ready to go full go,” Izzo said. “He has been doing more and more conditioning, meaning non-running, swimming and biking and things like that, but that’s not the same.”
With every close loss, there are people playing the “what if” game, with “What if Payne played?” being a top question on people’s minds after Saturday’s game.
Izzo has even heard rumblings from people that are accusing him of holding back Payne’s return because he isn’t taking the conference title too seriously.
“Am I sitting him back because I don’t care about winning the league? You don’t know me very well if you think that because that’s stupid,” Izzo said. “I wouldn’t do that. I told you I’m worried about him first, his future second and the team third, and that’s probably the way it is”
Fantastic freshman
Izzo stated after Saturday’s game how proud he was of his team, especially the bench players who rarely check into the game.
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When asked about which specific bench player he was most impressed with, Izzo decided to give the gold star to freshman guard Alvin Ellis III.
It wasn’t just the stat line of 4-for-4 shooting and two 3-pointers that Izzo liked seeing, it was more of the grittiness he showed against the Wolverines.
“Not only did he make shots and hit some threes, but he was cutting, he was rebounding, he defended very well,” Izzo said.
Ellis, known as a quieter player, came out of his shell after knocking down a 3-pointer late in the second half and gave an emphatic fist pump after the shot fell.
Seeing the shy freshman show intensity on the court was another plus for Izzo, who went on to say how Ellis could be a key player in the future.
“If he works his butt off this summer, he’s going to be a very, very good player here,” Izzo said. “He has a knack to move without the ball. He has a knack, he’s a very smart kid so he picks up things very well”
