In 1991, Greg Bria was sitting in Munn Ice Arena watching the MSU hockey team practice when then-head coach Ron Mason skated to him. At that time, Bria was just a fan but had spent a lot of time around the team and had developed a reputation around the program as a handyman. "Hey, we need some new lockers for the locker room," Mason said.
To put it lightly, I was excited. My anticipation level was soaring as I pulled my car into the Joe Louis Arena parking garage.
Ashley Schatzle first felt that something was wrong with her shoulder in her later high school years. But after having surgery last winter, this outside hitter for the MSU volleyball team said her game has improved. "I had a fray in my rotator cuff," said Schatzle, a nursing sophomore, describing her shoulder injury.
Despite a 4-1 record, the second guessing of the MSU football team's coaching staff has begun after some failed plays in its 34-31 overtime loss to Michigan last week. Offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin has taken a bulk of the heat, but said if given the chance to recall any plays of the game, he would decline. The general feeling among Spartans fans is that the play calling has been a bit conservative, especially during the second half of MSU's win over Notre Dame and the second half of the U-M game. "To say we were conservative is ludicrous," Baldwin said.
After compiling a 20-17-4 overall record last season with the expectations and hopes that the program had coming into the 2004-05 campaign, MSU head coach Rick Comley is determined to leave last year in the past. "It was a season obviously, we had good expectations and there was no reason to think we weren't going to do well and then it just didn't work," he said.
MSU and Michigan is always a tough rivalry, but this year both field hockey teams are struggling in unfamiliar territory. Each is looking for its first conference victory as U-M comes to the MSU Field Hockey Complex at 5 p.m.
Looking to rebound after a tough conference loss to Northwestern, the MSU men's soccer team (3-2-4 overall, 0-1-1 Big Ten) will host Oakland University today at 4 p.m.
After joining the Big Ten in 1993, Penn State finished in the top three of the conference for five straight years. Yet, the Nittany Lions have not come closer than fourth place since then. But this year might be a different story as Joe Paterno has his team out to its first 5-0 start since 1999, when the team won its first nine games. This weekend presents the toughest test to date for the No.
MSU men's head basketball coach Tom Izzo secured his second verbal commitment from the top tier of the class of 2006 - Raymar Morgan, a versatile, 6-foot-7 forward from Canton, Ohio. Morgan is listed as the eighth best small forward and 28th best overall prospect in the nation by the recruiting service www.scout.com. "He's just a good, well-rounded player," said Chris Monter, Midwest region recruiting analyst for www.collegebasketballnews.com. "He does a lot of things around the hoop and he has a good mid-range game." Morgan had narrowed his options to MSU, Michigan and Ohio State.
After experiencing a game in which junior kicker John Goss missed two field goals, MSU head coach John L.
After falling to Minnesota on Friday the MSU women's volleyball team bounced back on Saturday, defeating Iowa, 3-2. The Spartans (9-5 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) were led by senior setter Mickey Davis who posted a floor-high 74 assists against Iowa.
After suffering a 5-1 loss to Purdue on Friday, the MSU women's soccer team knocked off Indiana 1-0 on Sunday to salvage a split on their weekend road trip. Sophomore forward Breana Ballard provided all the offense the Spartans (5-3-3 overall, 1-1-0 Big Ten) would need on Sunday, beating Hoosier goalkeeper Lauren Fabbro low into the left corner just moments before halftime to net her first career goal. "It's real exciting to finally get one, especially today," Ballard said in a written statement.
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.
The field hockey team came up short Saturday and was upset by No. 14 Iowa as they fell 3-2, staying winless in the Big Ten. This was the second loss in a row suffered at the hands of the Hawkeyes and the first time the Spartans have started the conference 0-2 since 2000. Iowa took the lead twenty minutes into the contest as defender Kadi Sickel found the back of the net beating senior goalie Christina Kirkaldy. The Spartans entered the second half down 1-0. In the second half, Sickel struck again for Iowa and gave them the 2-0 lead over the Spartans. The Spartans didn't give up, however, and got on the scoreboard just less than three minutes later.
The Spartans looked far from an undefeated, No. 11-ranked team Saturday when they fell to Michigan, 34-31 in overtime, amid a number of mistakes that were absent in their previous four contests. The offense, defense, and special teams all played a rollercoaster of a game that sophomore linebacker Kaleb Thornhill called a "team loss". "The defense made mistakes, the offense made mistakes, we all made mistakes," Thornhill said.
• Texas Tech has given Pat Knight, son of current men's basketball coach Bob Knight, a five-year contract to replace his dad once he retires. No word yet if MSU has made a similar promise to Tom Izzo's 5-year-old son, Steven. • You could say the Tigers limped to the finish line of another disappointing season this weekend.
After Garrett Rivas let a 27-yard field goal sail wide right that would have given the Wolverines a late fourth-quarter lead, head coach Lloyd Carr asked him what he did. "He said, 'I just pushed it,' Carr said.
Raymar Morgan, one of the premier basketball prospects in the class of 2006, verbally committed to play at MSU.
The baseball playoffs are finally upon us after a long and grueling season that came down to the final day for four different teams. The Boston Red Sox knew they were going to have a shot at the playoffs; they just didn't know whether it would come after Sunday or after a one-game playoff against the Cleveland Indians today. But after the Chicago White Sox successfully knocked off the Indians early Sunday, the Red Sox knew they were in the playoffs and it didn't matter if they won their game or not. The Indians' loss guaranteed the Red Sox the wild card for the third straight season, the same wild card they won last year before winning the World Series. For the Indians, the season ends in disappointment.
They seemed invincible. Minus the criticism that came from the planting of a Spartans flag in the middle of Notre Dame Stadium, the act itself showed the Spartans making a statement.