Mateen Cleaves may not be a Spartan or a Detroit Piston any more, but his local fan support doesn’t seem to care.About 30 fans watched as Cleaves played horse Thursday in front of the Okemos Sprint Store at 3544 Meridian Crossing Drive with four radio station winners.
The MSU coaching staff’s agenda for this weekend is fairly simple - provide the freshmen with their first competitive collegiate atmosphere, get the returning players back up to game speed and at all costs, avoid injuries. But it’s easier said than done. Just five days after their first practice, the Spartans are being thrust into back-to-back exhibition games, starting with the annual Green and White intrasquad game at 7:05 p.m.
With only three returning players, the women’s tennis team will open its fall season today by hosting The Spartan Cup at the MSU tennis courts. Matches are set to begin at 9 a.m.
In front of a crowd of friends, classmates, parents and mentors Thursday, Williamston wrestler Andy Simmons, a three-time Michigan High School State Champion, announced his intent to join the Spartans next fall.“I am going to State because I really like the program and it will be close so that people from around here can come and see me,” Simmons said.
Things have been pretty wild in the world of sports lately. The Detroit Lions are hitting rock bottom early into the season instead of during the middle of its schedule, and 38-year old Michael Jordan is returning to the NBA for the second time.
The MSU head football coaches are so worried about starting flat against Northwestern on Saturday - like the team did last year - they addressed the issue minutes after beating the Fighting Irish.“They just want to make sure that unlike last year we don’t come off a couple of wins in the beginning and then get too high and forget about next week’s game,” senior linebacker Josh Thornhill said.
The MSU Spartan volleyball team saw two extreme ends of the spectrum last weekend. At No.
If MSU’s T.J. Duckett is considered the Midwest’s “freak of nature,” then Northwestern’s Damien Anderson comes in a close second. Both Heisman Trophy candidate running backs are known for their uncanny speed and strength, despite the fact they differ in size. Duckett, at 6-foot-1 and 249 pounds, bruised his way to 1,353 yards in 2000, while Anderson, at 5-foot-11 and 207 pounds, scampered for 2,063 - the most in the Big Ten.
There was a time no one questioned his moves, his word was gospel, and he could do no wrong.But with one fax, he has brought a hellfire of controversy upon himself.Michael Jordan’s announcement Tuesday that he will return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards has the entire sports world wondering what to expect.To many around East Lansing, his return brings a lift to basketball and to sports in general.“It’s great,” human resources senior Ashli Fabiano said.
Detroit - Sadness shrouded CCHA Media Day at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday, as the league’s 12 coaches remembered Maine head coach and former MSU assistant Shawn Walsh, who died Monday after a 15-month battle with renal cell carcinoma, a rare form of cancer. But the loss hit at a much more personal level for MSU head coach Ron Mason. Walsh, 46, was the ex-husband of Mason’s daughter, Tracey Hein.
Detroit - The CCHA unveiled its preseason media poll at the league’s annual Media Day in Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday, and the Spartans were in familiar territory - atop the league. The media overwhelmingly endorsed MSU to repeat as CCHA regular season champions, giving the Spartans 22 out of 26 possible first-place votes.
Most of the talk at MSU’s hockey media day Monday in Munn Ice Arena centered around two things - “The Cold War” outdoor hockey game on Oct.
MSU students seeking a spot in the Izzone will have a chance to earn tickets this week, but the process is slightly different than in years past.
The Big Ten named freshman wide receiver Charles Rogers and senior punter Craig Jarrett Big Ten Players of the Week on Monday for their efforts in MSU’s 17-10 win over Notre Dame.Rogers was named co-offensive player of the week along with Northwestern’s Damien Anderson and Jarrett was named the special teams player of the week.
The MSU field hockey team hosts Central Michigan at 7:30 p.m. today in the Duffy Daugherty Football Building. The Spartans (5-3, 1-0 Big Ten) are coming off a dominating 5-0 win over Northwestern in their Big Ten opener Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Despite its 3-3 overall record, Central could present a challenge for the Spartans.
Early rain threatened to ruin the course, but the track held together for the MSU men’s and women’s cross country teams to host the 12th annual Spartan Invitational on Friday at Forest Akers East Golf Course.The women competed well against the field of 12 teams - which was open to the public for the first time - and took four of the top five spots.
Darkness is creeping in earlier every day, the daily highs are sinking lower and lower, and Ron Mason is back in the MSU Hockey Office after a summer vacation spent mostly away from East Lansing.By all indications, hockey season is imminent.
The No. 6 MSU field hockey team opened its Big Ten schedule with an impressive 5-0 win over the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.The Spartans (5-3, 1-0 Big Ten) dominated the game, outshooting Northwestern 15-4 in the win.“All week, we’ve been working on hits into the circle, and I’ve been working on my movement cutting to the ball,” senior forward Bridget Cooper said.It seems to be working - the first goal came 13 minutes into the first half as Cooper guided the ball past goalkeeper Kendra Mesa on a pass from freshman midfielder Annebet Beerman.
The Spartan volleyball team left East Lansing on Thursday with hopes of returning with a 9-0 record and wins over Wisconsin on Friday and Northwestern on Saturday. Twenty-eight service errors later, the Spartans (7-2, 0-2 Big Ten) found themselves on the first losing streak of the season, falling 3-1 to No.
In the first tournament of their collegiate careers, MSU freshmen tennis players Cameron Marshall and Anthony Stefani advanced to the final round of the doubles C division Saturday at the Ball State Invitational at Ball State. The team won 8-1 in the quarterfinals and 8-3 in the semifinals after receiving a bye in the first round. But the streak ended there, as the duo lost 8-4 to Findling-Grupp of Western Michigan. Marshall also played for the consolation B title, and beat Erik Lindroos of Western 6-2, 6-2.