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Basketball

BASKETBALL

'BasketBowl' sells out, 75,000 expected

Natosha Diggs
July 14, 2003

Fans of MSU or Kentucky basketball without tickets to the schools' Dec. 13 matchup are officially hard-pressed to find a ticket because "The BasketBowl" is sold out.After season-ticket holders and university donors from both schools claimed the first 50,672 seats, the remaining 19,028 tickets allotted to the general public on Tuesday sold out in a span of four days, according to the Ford Field Ticket Office.

BASKETBALL

'BasketBowl' on sell-out pace

MSU's attempt to set a world record in basketball attendance is shaping up into a reality as ticket sales for "The BasketBowl" have now topped 50,000. On Saturday, MSU ticket manager Chris Besanceney reported that 50,172 tickets have been sold for the Kentucky-MSU basketball game at Ford Field in Detroit on Dec.

BASKETBALL

Spartans hope for success in upcoming season

Last March, three wins in seven days at the 2003 NCAA Tournament laid a season of skepticism surrounding the MSU men's basketball team to rest - and woke up the groggy sleeping giant of MSU basketball fandom.But even though the Spartans' run to the Elite Eight in the 2003 NCAA Tournament was an improbable - albeit unexpected - step back to championship-caliber expectations, players and coaches are looking toward the national crown this season regardless.Last season, all talk was about "bridging the gap" between the Spartans of 2003 and the 2000 national championship team that cut down the nets at the Final Four.

BASKETBALL

'U' hopes to make team

Dawn Klemish
June 4, 2003

After a weekend of tryouts, three MSU athletes have taken another step toward taking the summer off from Spartan basketball and representing the United States against the rest of the world.Junior guard Chris Hill, sophomore forward Paul Davis and sophomore guard Maurice Ager all made the cut as finalists under consideration for placement on two different USA Basketball teams."It just shows that we're more than just basketball, we can go out and represent our country," Davis said.

BASKETBALL

U-M sanctioned by NCAA

Michigan's basketball team was restricted from the next postseason last Thursday by the NCAA for violations involving former booster Ed Martin paying Wolverine basketball players during the 1990s.Although the university placed a self-imposed ban on the men's basketball team from appearing in the NCAA Tournament last season, the NCAA infractions committee deemed the penalty "meaningful," but not enough.

BASKETBALL

Izzo slim on coaches following departures

With the defections of assistant coach Mike Garland (Cleveland State) and associate head coach Brian Gregory (Dayton) for head-coaching jobs, MSU head coach Tom Izzo is in search of two replacements.Izzo said his challenge will be to replace two monumental parts of his staff and two close friends."Those two guys are 66 percent of my staff," he said.

BASKETBALL

Izzo to lose another assistant

Kris Karol
April 16, 2003

MSU assistant coach Mike Garland is en route to Cleveland State to become the Vikings' new men's basketball head coach. The former assistant coach told senior Brian Westrick the news, as the two crossed paths in the Union on Tuesday morning. Garland's departure means MSU will have two vacancies to fill on its coaching staff next season.

BASKETBALL

Gregory takes Dayton head-coaching job

Chris Mackinder
April 10, 2003

After much speculation, MSU basketball associate head coach Brian Gregory accepted the head-coaching position at Dayton on Wednesday afternoon."I'm honored and excited to be named the head basketball coach at the University of Dayton," Gregory said at a press conference.

BASKETBALL

Izzo headed to Bourbon Street for television gig

Patrick Walters
April 2, 2003

You can take the coach out of the Final Four, but you won't be able to take the Final Four out of the coach. MSU Sports Information Assistant Director Matt Larson confirmed Tuesday MSU head coach Tom Izzo will join anchors Greg Gumbel and Clark Kellogg in CBS studios for analysis of this weekend's national semifinal and championship games.

BASKETBALL

Past standards still haunt 'U'

Patrick Walters
April 1, 2003

San Antonio - The motivation for the MSU men's basketball team this postseason was to make a name for itself instead of chasing the glory of seasons' past. Mission accomplished? "It was a good run, not many people gave us a chance to get this far," sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson said.

BASKETBALL

Program has a chance to join nation's elite

In the second half of No. 7 seed MSU's 68-46 win over No. 2 seed Florida, sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson dropped a pretty dime to freshman forward Erazem Lorbek for an easy deuce. As associate head coach Brian Gregory strolled by head coach Tom Izzo to call plays he asked, "Where did that come from?" Gregory was referring to Anderson's true point guard-type pass, however, he could have been talking about the entire team's performance.

BASKETBALL

Brown scores 23 points in high school all-star game

While most people were likely observing high school basketball phenom LeBron James at the McDonald's All American High School Basketball Game on Wednesday in Cleveland, some others were staring fixedly at two MSU recruits. Guards Brandon Cotton and Shannon Brown showed off their skills at the contest. Troy Jackson, Brown's coach at Proviso East High in Illinois, said Brown was impressive. "Shannon played real well, like I expected him to," Jackson said.

BASKETBALL

Lorbek leading balanced attack

Patrick Walters
March 26, 2003

Freshman forward Erazem Lorbek can now make three additions to his résumé - Buffalo tamer, Gator slayer and blissfully aloof hero of MSU's first two NCAA Tournament games. The soft-spoken Ljubljana, Slovenia, native has quietly helped MSU past No.

BASKETBALL

Roberson has unimpressive performance

Chris Mackinder
March 25, 2003

Tampa, Fla. - Freshman guard Anthony Roberson didn't picture it this way. The Saginaw native chose Florida over MSU, and before Sunday, it was hard for anyone to question his decision. The Gators (25-8) were ranked as high as No.

BASKETBALL

March dreams

Chris Mackinder
March 21, 2003

Aloysius Anagonye knows this is his last hurrah. The senior forward, better known as "Big Al," is heading into the NCAA Tournament with a dark reality - his basketball career may soon be over. "It does hit home," he said.