It was a Thanksgiving weekend the No. 6 Spartans would like to forget. After dropping a 2-1 decision to intrastate rival Michigan, the Spartans went on the road for the weekend and lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to No.
Marquise Gray's college basketball career has been a roller-coaster ride. In three up-and-down seasons, the sophomore forward has battled several injuries and has struggled to live up to the hype that came with being an elite recruit. Gray's performance against Oakland (4-3) on Saturday was one of the "up" days.
The City of Detroit is seeking a firm to lead the auction of memorabilia from Tiger Stadium, which is scheduled to be demolished soon. Among the first items to be auctioned from the clubhouse: Cecil Fielder's artificial popcorn butter machine. Chicago Bulls head coach Scott Skiles is feuding with Ben Wallace after Wallace violated team policy by wearing a headband during a game. The spat comes on the heels of Skiles' complaints last week about the 3-foot long hairs he keeps finding in the locker room shower drain. Chadron State College running back Danny Woodhead set the NCAA single-season rushing record Saturday, finishing the season with 2,740 yards. Scouts at the game were amazed that they actually found the Chadron State campus. New Lothrop High School, which has just more than 800 students, captured its first ever state football championship Friday, beating Crystal Falls Forest Park in the Division 8 state finals. Internet message board posters immediately anointed New Lothrop head coach Jake Emmendorfer as the top candidate for the vacant MSU position.
1. In previous seasons, Victoria Lucas-Perry and Rene Haynes have been, to some extent, overshadowed by the team's senior classes.
1. Junior guard Drew Neitzel has embraced his role as the team's go-to scorer. Neitzel averaged 33 points per game as a senior at Wyoming Park High School but was more of a distributor during his first two years at MSU, deferring to Paul Davis, Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown.
Three quality opponents in one week. Three losses. It's exactly what the No. 6 MSU hockey team didn't want heading into a tough stretch of late-November games.
With the news that former MSU hockey player and current Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller has a featured playlist on iTunes, we couldn't help but think what some other prominent members of the athletic community have on their iPods: OJ Simpson Shaggy — It Wasn't Me Bob Knight Akon — Smack That Former Michigan defensive tackle Larry Harrison Michael Jackson — Beat It Charles Rogers Rose Royce — Workin' at the Car Wash Allyssa DeHaan The Commodores — Brick House Drew Neitzel The Offspring — Pretty Fly (For a White Guy) Tom Izzo (to Matt Trannon) Player — Baby, Come Back Tom Izzo (to the MSU head football coach search committee) Jack Johnson — If I Could Drew Stanton Postal Service — This Place Is A Prison Kellen Freeman-Davis, Eric Andino, Barre Mackie, Jeremy McGinis Elton John — Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) John L.
Two MSU football commitments faced each other in the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 3 state football finals on Saturday at Ford Field. Two-way lineman Darrell Davis-Budanauro and his East Grand Rapids team defeated wide receiver Mark Dell's Farmington Hills Harrison squad, 42-17. Davis-Budanauro (6-foot-4, 370 pounds) played both nose guard and offensive tackle, helping East Grand Rapids score five consecutive rushing touchdowns.
After winning four of its final six games, the MSU volleyball team is heading to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. MSU (19-11) is paired against Utah (27-3) in its first-round game in Los Angeles.
As a freshman, Aisha Jefferson battled a shoulder injury that forced her to play with a large wrap. Then, with the shoulder finally healed this past summer, Jefferson ran into another injury: A torn meniscus in her left knee. Jefferson underwent scope surgery that left her in a brace as she tried to regain her timing on the court and get back into game shape. "I had just come back from my shoulder surgery, (was) going full-strength, and then my knee set me back," Jefferson said.
Former MSU quarterback Jeff Smoker is getting another chance at playing football. After a stint with the NFL's St.
Senior punter Brandon Fields was named first-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media Tuesday, and senior offensive lineman Kyle Cook was named second-team All-Big Ten by the coaches. Fields led the Big Ten in punting yardage average, with 43.3 yards per punt, and also had the longest punt, 73 yards, of All-Big Ten punters. Fields' selection was his third first-team All-Big Ten award.
The MSU women's and men's cross country teams raced to 12th- and 17th-place finishes, respectively, at the NCAA Championship meet Monday in Terre Haute, Ind. "Today was a huge step for our programs," said Walt Drenth, MSU director of cross country and track and field, in a statement. The women, who entered the race ranked fourth in the country after a first-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional, were led by sophomore Alissa McKaig's 10th-place finish in the 6K race.
The No. 6 MSU hockey team can forget about heading home for the Thanksgiving holiday to enjoy a home-cooked meal with the family. Instead, the Spartans will be playing three road games in six days and will be spending the holiday weekend with their relatives on the ice. "We consider this our family, too," senior captain Chris Lawrence said.
Given the surprising performances by the MSU men's basketball team Thursday and Friday, there already was reason for optimism in East Lansing.
MSU head coach Rick Comley announced last week the signing of National Letters of Intent by three players to accompany the two already signed and to complement the returnees for the 2007-08 hockey season. The five members who make up the class of 2011 will join the Spartans next September. Dustin Gazley Position: Forward Height: 5-foot-8 Weight: 150 pounds Hometown: Novi His numbers: Three goals and four points in 11 games with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL. Comley: "Dustin is a very hard worker with a great intensity, and he also possesses some speed to his game.
Allyssa DeHaan has entered the record books yet again — in just her second collegiate game. Already the tallest player in program history, the freshman center added the single-game blocks record to her résumé Sunday, swatting away eight shots in the No.
State College, Pa. — Since his unceremonious firing Nov. 1, John L. Smith has been understandably guarded about his personal feelings.
Anyone who followed MSU football during the 2006 season knows the team can be a bit bipolar at times.
New York — If you had asked most pundits a month ago what the greatest strength of this year's MSU men's basketball team would be, most of their answers would have sounded something like this: "It'll help pass the time until next year's Top 5 recruiting class gets here." Well, after upsetting No.