WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Program records set in multiple sports this year
Men's basketball and football weren't the only programs that their players go far last fall and this spring.
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Nothing but net: 72-year-old MSU alumnus challenges all
James E. Cummings Jr. is a familiar face for anyone who frequents the IM Sports-West courts.
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Suzy Merchant reflects on hard year
Born in Detroit, Michigan and playing basketball for Central Michigan, Suzy Merchant always had a passion for the sport of basketball.
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Travis Trice has started to see his name on NBA draft boards
Senior guard Travis Trice became a NCAA tournament hero with his weekly heroics, helping the Spartans reach the Final Four for the first time since 2010.
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Head athletic coordinator Bob Knickerbocker to retire after three decades with MSU
The town of Cincinnatus, New York is a rural farming town of just over 1,000 people, and it isn't the place that many people get the opportunity to leave from. Bob Knickerbocker was one of the lucky few that did get to leave. Knickerbocker has been the head athletic equipment coordinator since 1983, and has helped oversee some of the uniform changes that MSU athletics have seen in the past few seasons. He will retire following this school year, but it will come after a long and fulfilling ride with MSU. "This kind of life has been very exciting for me," he said.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
High school coach of Caleb Swanigan reflects on MSU's newest five-star recruit
Kentucky, Arizona, Duke, Purdue, California and Chicago State were all in pursuit for the 6-foot-8-inch big man.
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Tom Izzo: 'Gavin Schilling needs to love the game.'
Head coach Tom Izzo critiqued most of his roster during his end-of-the-season press conference last Thursday.
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Denzel Valentine will take Spartans to new heights next year, according to Tom Izzo
After losing to Duke in the Final Four round of the NCAA Tournament, junior guard Denzel Valentine vowed that MSU would return next season. Head coach Tom Izzo placed his faith in his captain during his end-of-season press conference on Thursday, saying he believes Valentine will help the Spartans live up to expectations next season. "He, I think, will take this team to new heights next year," Izzo said.
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Tom Izzo expects big things from Javon Bess following injury filled freshman season
Before the season began, head coach Tom Izzo pegged freshman guard Javon Bess as a player he expected to make an immediate impact. A preseason stress fracture in Bess' right foot last October robbed him of that opportunity.
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MSU basketball report card
This season could be regarded as Izzo's best coaching job, and for good reason.
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Five-star recruit Caleb Swanigan commits to MSU
Reaching his seventh Final Four as head coach of the Spartans this past weekend, Tom Izzo could very well be on this way to a second consecutive appearance in the national semifinals after landing his second McDonald's All-American on Friday. Caleb Swanigan, who held offers from Kentucky, Duke, Arizona and Cal, who were rumored to be the clear cut favorite to pick up the No.
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COLUMN: Losses of Dawson and Trice will have bigger impact than many think
MSU’s season could very well end in Houston next year but thinking it’s a foregone conclusion is a big mistake. The Final Four returns to the Lone Star State next spring and some already have the Spartans penciled in to make it back to where this season ended.
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A look at MSU basketball next season
Just a few days removed from the end of MSU’s basketball season, it’s difficult to not look ahead and see the possibilities that lie ahead. MSU will lose two of its three top scorers from this season, senior guard Travis Trice and senior forward Branden Dawson, but junior guard Eron Harris will be eligible next season.
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Head coach Tom Izzo vows to recruit better following loss to Duke
After watching MSU get dismantled by Duke in the Final Four last Saturday, head coach Tom Izzo said he may have to adjust his coaching approach moving forward.
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One year later, Lacey Holsworth remembered
Although it has been a year since Lacey Holsworth has died, she has not been forgotten by the MSU community.
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MSU basketball and football finish season in coaches poll top 10
Last week, men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo said he dreams of witnessing his basketball program and Mark Dantonio's football program win a national championship. Based on the end-of-season coaches polls for each sport, it looks like Izzo's dream could happen sooner rather than later. The Spartans finished No.
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National Champions Duke dominated MSU in the paint Saturday night
Although Duke was playing about 600 miles from Durham, the Blue Devils found a temporary home Saturday night — the four foot radius around the basket. The Blue Devils absolutely dominated around the rim, outscoring MSU 42-26 in the paint.
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Despite Final Four loss Spartan fans were out in force in Indianapolis
As thousands of MSU basketball fans cheered the Spartans on in the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday night, about a five minute walk down the street in downtown Indianapolis sat hundreds of other Spartan fans in the oldest bar in Indiana -- the Slippery Noodle Inn. "It started with Jud Heathcote," said Slippery Noodle Inn general manager Marty Bacon, referring to the coach's parties the former MSU head basketball coach used to throw at the bar. To this day, the Slippery Noodle Inn continues to be a hotbed for Spartan fans to congregate when a big time MSU sporting event is taking place.
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Aerial Powers named All-American honorable mention
For the first time in head coach Suzy Merchant's tenure with MSU, the women's basketball team will not play in any postseason tournament, because of a decision to not risk any more injuries. But the veteran sideline general and former Central Michigan guard received more outstanding news on sophomore forward Aerial Powers on Saturday, who earned another honorable mention All-American honor by another renowned coalition. It's been four years since the program carried a Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) honorable mention All-America recipient since former standout Kalisha Keane. Now, following a season filled with record breaking accomplishments, Powers earned WCBA All-American honors to complete her collection of awards.
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Maurice Ager helps troubled youth with basketball school
Stepping off the hardwood and into the music booth, MSU basketball standout Maurice Ager has gone from leading the Spartans to a Final Four, to being a Grammy nominated recording artist and producer. Playing in four seasons with four different teams in the NBA, while also earning a spot on the All-Big Ten second team his junior and senior year, the game of basketball is still lodged into the heart of the 31-year-old, despite haven't not played professionally since the end of the 2010-11 season. Residing in the Greater Los Angeles area, Ager wanted a way to have basketball continue to be a major part of his life, as well as giving back to a new generation of future stars, which resulted in the creation of the Maurice Ager Hoop School, founded over a year ago. “I wanted to figure out a way to give back to the youth with some of the skills and talent that I’ve been able to accomplish in my life,” Ager said.