"I've had a lot of great players and I've had a lot of great kids," Izzo said following MSU's 78-77 win over Florida Gulf Coast. "But, there's been nobody ... this kid (Nairn), I think he's got wings. If you talk to him, the most appreciative kid in this society of selfishness I've ever met. I'd die to have my kid turn out like Tum."

A lot of that has to do with the manner in which Nairn conducts himself. He is a highly intelligent and well-spoken man, who after speaking with kids at Sandilands Primary School on Tuesday morning in Nassau credited his upbringing in the Bahamas for the way he turned out today and to the manners, politeness, and compassion he exhibits on a daily basis.

"It means everything to him," said freshman forward Miles Bridges, who Nairn has taken under his wing along with freshmen guards Josh Langford and Cassius Winston. "He wants to win this at home, he will have a lot of family there, a lot of friends there. Expect Tum to play the hardest you've ever seen him play, and he already plays so hard. This will be a great trip for him."

Nairn Jr. started his performance in Nassau with a bounce pass feed to senior guard Alvin Ellis III in the first half, as well as a layup to increase MSU's halftime lead to three. The second half is when he started to look for his shot. After burying his eighth career three-pointer from the corner, the 5-foot-10 Nairn took an MSU fast break a full 94 feet and capped it off with a dunk, igniting the crowd and helping the Spartans race to an opening round win over St. John's.

Nairn finished with a career-high 13 points, including a career-high three triples and was flocked by family and friends after the game. 

The rest of Nairn's teammates knew how much it meant to have Tum going back home, so they had a little surprise for him. This past weekend, Nairn's brother, who goes to school in Texas, was flown up to East Lansing to watch him play on both Friday and Sunday.

The team did all of this without Nairn knowing. Nairn said he walked in from the pregame meal and his teammates had their phones out, ready to capture the moment.

"I was looking, and I turned my head to the right and he was just sitting in my chair," Nairn said. "I had no idea he was coming up ... and that was special. That was his first time watching me in person in college, too."

Now, Nairn finally has the chance to have his family see how far he has come and has already proved his worth to MSU in front of them. He's gone from playing with milk crates to playing at the Atlantis, a place Nairn said is "two different worlds" from where he grew up, with one of the most prestigious basketball schools in the country.

"I know it's going to be a special time because a lot of my family members who have never seen me play in person are going to be there," Nairn said, "It's going to be a special trip, and I really want to go out there and win the tournament."