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Sports | Basketball Men's 1000

SPORTS

Soccer gaining popularity in U.S.

So the U.S. doesn't like soccer, and soccer doesn't necessarily like the U.S. Well, you might be able to say that for a couple more years — but not for long. It's only a matter of time before soccer becomes the most popular sport to play and watch in the U.S.

SPORTS

Brown leaves MSU to join NBA draft

Shannon Brown is leaving the Spartans. Brown had been looking for a team that would commit to making him a first-round selection, like other players who enter the NBA draft without hiring an agent. Brown said Thursday that no team would make that guarantee, but positive feedback after workouts with several teams helped him decide to keep his name in the draft and skip his senior season at MSU. "There will be no regrets because it's my decision," he said in a conference call from the Chicago area.

SPORTS

MSU ultimate team places 9th in championship

By Nick Hurwitch For The State News The MSU men's ultimate Frisbee team, Burning Couch, competed at the 2006 Ultimate Players Association, or UPA, College Championships for a third straight year, last weekend in Columbus, Ohio. The event featured 16 of the best men's and women's teams in the country.

SPORTS

Wrestling coach signs 3 athletes for '06-'07

Wrestling head coach Tom Minkel recently added the finishing touches to this year's freshman recruiting class by announcing the signing of three Michigan natives. The recruits include John Fulger from Montrose, Blake Mesyn from Clinton Township and Joel Trombly from New Baltimore.

SPORTS

Izzo back from coaching troops in Kuwait

Although his team didn't win a game, MSU men's basketball coach Tom Izzo said working with members of the United States military in Kuwait was an incredible experience. Izzo traveled to Kuwait on about a weeklong trip with other college basketball coaches as part of Operation Hardwood II. He spent time at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, where he helped coach a team of military personnel in a tournament of 12 teams of players from seven military camps. Izzo's team, a group of troops from Camp Patriot located on the Kuwait Naval Base, went 0-5 in the tournament. It was the second time Izzo traveled to Kuwait as part of Operation Hardwood, and he said it was good to go back and spend time with members of the military. "It was good for me to get another dose of reality and get my perspective back," Izzo said at a press conference.

SPORTS

Track athletes earn place in NCAA finals

Senior Brad Gebauer and sophomores Jeremy Orr and Nicole Bush all advanced to the NCAA Track and Field Championships, following their performances at the NCAA Mideast Regional Track and Field Championships last weekend. Gebauer, the 2006 Big Ten indoor and outdoor pole vault champion, took first place in the event with a leap of 5.41 meters.

SPORTS

Rowing team places 6th, creates new record

Over the weekend, the MSU women's rowing team broke its own record. The Spartans ended the NCAA Championship Regatta in sixth place overall — claiming the highest NCAA finish in the program's history. Head coach Matt Weise said the team had a lot of which to be proud. "The athletes worked very hard to be ready for this championship, and their hard work paid off in our best team finish," Weise said in a press release. The Spartans' previous high finish was eighth during the 2000 NCAA Regatta. The varsity team was able to compete in the Grand Final on Sunday — marking the first time a Spartan varsity team competed in a national championship race. The winner of the championship was California, defending its team title with a close finish for first, just in front of Brown. Alessa Thomas

SPORTS

Golfer finishes 75th at NCAA Regional

MSU sophomore golfer Ryan Brehm tied for 75th at the NCAA Central Regional in Chardon, Ohio. The tournament lasted three days — last Thursday, Friday and Saturday — with a field of 141 student golfers. Competing as an individual, Brehm was the only MSU golfer at the tournament and finished with a 14-over-par 227. The Mount Pleasant-native had his best day on Saturday, shooting a 1-under-par 70.

SPORTS

Football player sentenced

MSU football player Cole Corey was sentenced Thursday to spend between two and 10 years in prison for possession of a controlled substance Thursday in the Lenawee County Circuit Court. Corey appeared in 11 games for the Spartans in 2005, recording six tackles and returning a kick on special teams.

SPORTS

Lugnuts fall to Bees, 2-7 in away game

Lansing — The Lugnuts' Monday night game against the West Michigan Whitecaps was canceled due to rain and will not be made up. The Lugnuts remain a half-game ahead of the Whitecaps in the Eastern division.