Steve Smith, a former All-American for MSU, announced his retirement from the NBA on Friday at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center.
I look down the bench and to my right sit Delco Rowley, Idong Ibok, Marquise Gray and Mo Ager. In front of us, Coach Izzo is spewing a fiery pep talk about being the best in the land. I must have stumbled into some parallel universe where has-been high school letter-winners get to live out their unfulfilled sports fantasies. I take a second glance at my teammates and realize I'm a good three to six inches shorter than most of these guys.
There's still almost a month until the MSU men's basketball team can officially practice for the first time, but for its student section, the season begins this weekend. Returning ticket-holders and lower-bowl hopefuls will stake out Munn Field on Saturday night for the Izzone Campout and a chance to secure their seats and spend some time with each other. "It's kind of like when you bring your family together for a family reunion," senior Associate Athletics Director Mark Hollis said. "It's a bonding situation." Students who were in the lower bowl last year are guaranteed lower-bowl seats again if they complete the campout.
MSU has agreed to play a pair of neutral-site men's basketball games with Texas Tech, including one at Ford Field, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports. The Spartans will play in Dallas on Dec.
Isaiah Dahlman, a 6-foot-6 swingman from Braham, Minn. has verbally agreed to play basketball with MSU starting next season. Dahlman, a senior in high school, averaged 28 points, six rebounds and five assists last season and led his team to a 33-0 record and the Minnesota Class 2A title. He is the first commitment MSU men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo has secured from the class of 2006. "He's definitely a top 100 player," said Chris Monter, midwest recruiting analyst for the recruiting service Collegebasketballnews.com.
MSU junior guard Shannon Brown did not make the cut for the 12-man roster for the Men's USA Basketball under-21 team. Brown, Oklahoma St.
The NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Committee has selected MSU and the Breslin Center to host first- and second-round games for the 2007 NCAA Women's Basketball Championships. "We're exited as a department to host the first and second rounds," MSU Director of Athletics Ron Mason said in a written statement.
Former MSU forward Alan Anderson will report to the Charlotte Bobcats this week as an undrafted free agent, Anderson's agent Henry Thomas confirmed. Anderson was projected to be selected in the NBA Draft last week, as high as the 26th pick to the Detroit Pistons, but was still waiting after 60 selections. Anderson played four years at MSU, finishing his career with 1,195 points - tying him for 22nd on MSU's all-time scoring list with fellow 2005 senior Kelvin Torbert.
The 2005 Big Ten/ACC Challenge schedule has been announced, and the MSU basketball team will host Georgia Tech at 7 p.m.
MSU men's basketball junior guard Shannon Brown accepted an invitation to attend the Under 21 National Team Trials in Dallas on July 21-23. The trials are used to choose the members of the 12-player team that will defend the gold medal for the United States in the 2005 FIBA U21 World Championship in Mar de Plata, Argentina in August. During his sophomore season, Brown averaged 10.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
The defending NBA Champion Detroit Pistons will have a chance to defend their title, after beating the Miami Heat, 88-82. Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 22 points on 11-16 shooting; he added seven assists and three rebounds.
As the defending world champion Pistons competed Monday night in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, local bars and restaurants also competed to draw the largest crowds. With most MSU students gone for the summer, bars and restaurants are experiencing less business, so they've turned to things such as high-definition TVs to lure people into their establishments, said Aaron Weiner, the general manager of Buffalo Wild Wings, 360 Albert Ave. Retired East Lansing resident Allan Harwitz said he heads to Buffalo Wild Wings on game nights because of the big screens. "I am here every time the Pistons play because the TVs here are huge," he said, while waiting for the game to begin.
I was watching the San Antonio versus Phoenix game the other night and started laughing to myself - in reference to the Suns' performance, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. While Quentin Richardson is jogging back on defense, tapping his fists at the corners of his forehead, Manu Ginobili is flying past him for a layup.
As summer approaches, many questions swirl about the MSU men's basketball team's next season.
When Chris Hill, Alan Anderson and Kelvin Torbert joined the Spartans as freshmen, the team lacked a solid senior class to show them the ropes. Now that the senior trio is leaving, Anderson said he made sure to leave behind their knowledge and experience. "We never had that," Anderson said.
High: MSU opens the season with an offensive explosion, scoring more than 100 points in its first three games against Florida A&M, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Nicholls State.
My parrot is better than your honor student. That's a weird bumper sticker to have on that beat-up 1980s Ford truck, I thought while driving down the center of Interstate 69 in Indiana. As I peered into the driver's seat, expecting a guy in Army gear and a NASCAR hat, I couldn't believe my eyes.
The MSU men's basketball team announced its award winners at its Basketball Bust on Monday. Senior swingman Alan Anderson was named the team's Most Valuable Player by both the team and the media. Along with senior guard Kelvin Torbert, Anderson also was awarded the John E.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo is sending another apprentice out into the head coaching world. MSU associate head coach Doug Wojcik was hired by Tulsa on Monday to replace interim head coach Alvin Williamson, who led the Golden Hurricane to a 9-20 season after John Phillips resigned in December. Wojcik is the sixth coach under Izzo to nab a head coaching job. Wojcik will stick with MSU for the NCAA Tournament including Friday's opening game against Old Dominion, but has a short timetable to assemble his staff. Izzo joked at his weekly Monday press conference that the bad news was former MSU coach Jud Heathcote called to say he's interested in the position. "But I think I'm going for 10 years younger, and we're going to hire Gene Keady," Izzo said with a laugh. Izzo said when Wojcik came to MSU, there was an understanding it would be a short stop before he snagged a head coaching job but his contribution would help the Spartans and give Wojcik the extra experience he needed. Hiring Wojcik puts Tulsa back on track with past practices of hiring up-and-coming coaches including Tubby Smith, Bill Self and Buzz Peterson. Wojcik has spent two seasons at MSU, specializing in recruiting and scouting.
Following a close loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, MSU head coach Tom Izzo said Sunday was a much better day. With calls from former coach Jud Heathcote and Earvin "Magic" Johnson and individual meetings with players, he said he felt better. "I've tried to come to grips with what this team is all about," Izzo said.