And so it begins. After being discussed, criticized and examined to near exhaustion, the murderous nonconference schedule facing the No.
Tom Izzo slammed his right fist into the palm of his left hand. The veins were clearly visible in his forehead and neck as he screamed across the court to any Spartan who would listen. It was a reoccurring scene Friday night in the Spartans' sloppy, 64-52 victory over Bucknell at Breslin Center. Rebounding, a staple in MSU's program during Izzo's tenure, evaporated against the Bison (0-1). The Spartans (1-0) weren't crashing the boards, and when the final buzzer sounded, MSU was slimly the victor in the rebounding category, 42-39. The poor display and representation of Spartan basketball caused Izzo to call this squad the softest team he's had in his nine-year reign as head coach. "This team needs a toughness transfusion," Izzo said.
It'll be the question of the season for the Spartans.Well, maybe second to "Can they win a national championship?"Will the point-guard-by-committee approach suffice for the men's basketball team's postseason powerhouse dreams?Juniors Alan Anderson and Chris Hill, senior Rashi Johnson and freshman Brandon Cotton are members of the quarterback committee."We really have three or four guys that can run the point," sophomore center Paul Davis said.
As the MSU basketball team embarks on its self-proclaimed "Magical Journey," three high school seniors took the first step in theirs.Wyoming Park point guard Drew Neitzel and forwards Marquise Gray of Flint Beecher and Goran Suton of Lansing Everett kept their promises to MSU head coach Tom Izzo by signing national letters of intent Wednesday to play for the Spartans next season.Wednesday was the first time Izzo could speak about his incoming class, which included two players - Neitzel and Gray - who have been verbal commits to the Spartans since their sophomore years.With so many high school players entering the NBA and the recent rash of decommittments in college basketball, recruiting has become a jungle, Izzo said.
Following an improved performance in the NCAA Tournament last season and a solid offseason, sophomore guard Maurice Ager was expected to factor heavily into the Spartans' rotation of players this season. Now, they'd be happy if he could walk. Since scoring 34 points in MSU's Green and White game on Oct.
When Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird met at center court Saturday, it was a meeting of the minds, 25 years after the two played in the 1979 national championship game.But this time, the two met as elder statesmen of the game, discussing everything from LeBron James to MSU's potential NBA prospects and the state of the NBA.While Bird didn't play in the game, he served as the Globetrotters honorary coach, watching the game from the end of the bench next to Johnson."We came in and changed the league," Johnson said.
On the recruitment radar for MSU basketball, Grand Ledge senior power forward Al Horford has gone from potential target to foregone conclusion then back again - maybe.Horford, who gave an oral commitment to U-M on Sept.
While Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Larry Bird smiled from the start to finish of the Harlem Globetrotters 97-83 win over MSU, Tom Izzo wasn't amused. The Globetrotters, featuring Johnson along with Bird as the honorary head coach, didn't goof around with the Spartans.
The "Magic" is back in East Lansing - this time, forever. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, former MSU standout and 1979 national champion, unveiled a 12-foot, bronze-cast statue of his likeness Saturday morning in front of hundreds of fans gathered outside the Breslin Center. His trademark smile flashed for cameras outside, but a ceremony preceding the unveiling revealed the life-long Spartan shaking with emotion. "My whole life I wanted to be a Spartan," Johnson said.
Many doubt, the MSU men's basketball schedule is amazing. It has been described as the most brutal schedule in Spartans history.Only time will tell.But the "Magical Journey" head coach Tom Izzo is so fond of isn't a venture down the road.
The hype surrounding the MSU men's basketball team was finally put in writing Thursday evening when the Spartans were ranked No.
This guy can flat out score. He's a guard with the greatest combination of shooting and athleticism MSU basketball head coach Tom Izzo has recruited during his tenure in East Lansing.
While the focus of life around MSU's campus this weekend will be focused on the Spartans' football game against Michigan, the MSU basketball team will open its exhibition season against the Harlem Globetrotters.The game will take place at 2:30 p.m.
Just because the depth issues that hampered the MSU women's basketball team are relatively healed, the defense still appeared to be hurting. At the women's annual Green and White game on Saturday, the Spartans showed off a jelled offense and transition game but gave their scrimmage team opponents sufficient room to shoot from outside. The Spartans wore out their scrimmage team - made mostly of MSU basketball managers - 77-64, but head coach Joanne P.
The men's basketball annual Green-and-White Game will take place at noon on Saturday at the Breslin Center.
The MSU women's basketball team will hold its Green and White game at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday Oct.
Former MSU basketball player Jason Richardson is facing a possible suspension for the beginning of the NBA regular season, league officials announced Monday. Richardson, a forward for the Golden State Warriors entering his third professional season, was convicted on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge Aug.
Charles Rogers was in attendance. So were Kirk Gibson and the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz." No, wait - that was MSU men's basketball players Andy Harvey, Rashi Johnson and Drew Naymick dressed up as their respective alter egos as they were introduced to the crowd at Breslin Center as part of "A Magical Journey" to officially kick off the men's and women's basketball seasons.
It's a safe bet that the MSU basketball teams of the 1980s never could have imagined the floor they were playing on would someday be in an MSU fan's bathroom. But that's exactly what has happened. The hardwood floor that is believed to have played home to MSU basketball teams anytime from 1982 to 1989 at Jenison Field House - the home of Spartans hoops before Breslin Center opened - is now on sale to the public at the MSU Surplus Store. The 4-by-8 pieces of hardwood floor are on sale during the store's regular public sale hours, from 7:30 a.m.
The MSU men's and women's basketball teams officially will open the season tonight at Breslin Center with a "Magical Journey." Fans will watch team introductions, intrasquad scrimmages after midnight, have autograph sessions with coaches and players and watch performances by the MSU cheerleading team, MSU Motion dance team and Sparty. Admission is free and doors open at 10:30 p.m.