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CHAPTER 1
Game On
THEY STARTED IN THE SHADOWS, THEN SOLDIERED ON AS THE INJURIES MOUNTED. SUDDENLY, WITH TWO FANTASTIC FINISHES IN TWO WEEKS, THEY WERE CHAMPS AGAIN.
Tough enough?
BEFORE THEY COULD GET HOT, TOM IZZO AND THE SPARTANS WOULD BE TESTED BY A CHILLING YEAR
By Graham Couch
The tears that welled up in Tom Izzo's eyes late in Michigan State's Big Ten tournament victory against Michigan and then again two weeks later before MSU's NCAA tournament triumph over Duke were tears of pride and, I think, joy. Neither had anything to do with winning — the games weren't decided when his emotions took over. One of the games hadn't even started.
Izzo was intensely proud of his players and their resolve. Proud of where and who they were. And, I think, grateful for the moment.
I'm not sure he thought he'd ever feel that again.
I never had seen Izzo as miserable as he was in the spring and summer of 2018. And I've seen him miserable plenty. Izzo does misery well.
This was deeper than his usual cantankerous behavior. He was angry, confused and saddened by a winter that had gone awry, by a reputation he saw as ruined. The school's Larry Nassar scandal had somehow spilled over into him, largely due to an ESPN report in January 2018 that weaved the MSU sports medicine doctor's heinous crimes with accusations that Izzo had ignored incidents of sexual assault and violence within his basketball program.
MSU's athletic director, Mark Hollis, retired ahead of the firestorm and its president, Lou Anna K. Simon, resigned in disgrace. That left Izzo, as the de facto voice of the university, a high-profile coach in season, answering on a subject that wasn't his strength.
Worse, in late February, the family of sophomore star Miles Bridges was linked to a federal probe into college basketball corruption. An internal investigation uncovered only a $40 family dinner with an agent, unbeknownst to Bridges. But the episode was another dent in Izzo's reputation.
Opposing fans he once playfully tussled with during Big Ten road games now were taking serious shots at his character. Once revered publicly, he was being portrayed and seen in a different light.
"It'll never be the same," he said later in the summer.
It didn't help that Mr. March couldn't get it done in his own month anymore on the court, it seemed. What was supposed to be a magical season — the second season of Bridges — had ended with an ugly thud, a second-round NCAA tournament exit to Syracuse at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, a third-straight early postseason exit.
No one within the program or rooting for it left that 30-victory, Big Ten championship season feeling good. Fans questioned his coaching tactics and whether, in his early 60s, he had lost his touch. It didn't help that archrival Michigan had beaten MSU twice and reached the national championship game.
Izzo was exhausted and distracted. He admittedly didn't have the zest he usually had in preparing his team for that Syracuse matchup on a quick turnaround. The season had worn on his team, too.
Against the 11th-seeded Orange, MSU held a 51-30 edge on the boards. Yet, the Spartans couldn't put the ball in the basket, from anywhere on the court. They shot 25.8 percent from the field (17-for-66) and 21.6 percent from beyond the arc (8-for-37). MSU tumbled by two, 55-53.
"We all struggled," Izzo said months later. "The coach did a bad job against Syracuse."
Bridges and freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. were leaving for the NBA draft, where they would become lottery picks. MSU's incoming class was far less heralded than the players it was replacing.
No one could have predicted the Spartans would come back a stronger, mentally tougher and more connected team the next season.
The tide began to turn at the end of August, when MSU received a letter from the NCAA that cleared it of any potential violations in the wake of Nassar's abuse of female athletes and allegations of sexual assaults against the basketball and football programs.
On the first day of practice in September, Izzo said: "I always believed I followed every procedure and policy to the nth degree."
Izzo did two smart things in the offseason:
First, he and his staff reshaped the team's offense — creating more space, making it more free-flowing, with fewer sets, more to Cassius Winston's strengths with ball screens and improvisation. If Izzo had one sure-fire dynamic piece coming back, it was Winston. They were giving him the keys in ways they probably should have a year earlier.
Second, at the Big Ten media day in October, Izzo dove into his feelings since the previous January, including the ESPN "Outside The Lines" photo illustration that paired him and football coach Mark Dantonio with Nassar. And while he continued to conflate the Nassar story with ESPN's questions about his behavior, he had at least had an open and public talk about all of it, with an ESPN reporter present. He should have done it months earlier. But he had freed his team to begin without more questions.
By Thanksgiving, in Las Vegas, it became clear this team was somehow better minus its two NBA lottery picks and three-year captain Lourawls (Tum Tum) Nairn. On offense, at least.
"The ball's moving and we've got a lot of guys who can make plays," Winston said the day after Thanksgiving, after a come-from-behind victory over Texas. "We feed off each other so well."
It was different than before. Winston tried hard not to use the word "better," but he was dancing around it.
That night was the sign of what we would see from MSU later — especially against Michigan three times and Duke in the Elite Eight: Connectedness, sweat equity and mental toughness that would define the season.
Izzo described this year's team as the most mentally tough group of his 24-year career. And he said the seed for that was planted by enduring the sagas and final damning defeats of the previous season.
Perhaps that's part of it. The players said that's overstated. But maybe that's helped them shake off and thrive through significant injuries. And maybe that contributed to the resolve and delight that brought Izzo to tears twice in March.
"I was just so proud of them," Izzo explained. "When people respond, and I've had this team respond time after time after time."
* * *
IZZO'S TWO CENTS
At the Big Ten media day Oct. 11, 2018, in Rosemont, Ill., nine months' worth of grievances and emotions emphatically poured out of Tom Izzo during a nearly hour-long roundtable with reporters. Among his comments:
ON THE ESPN "OUTSIDE THE LINES" PHOTO ILLUSTRATION OF IZZO, FOOTBALL COACH MARK DANTONIO AND DISGRACED SPORTS MEDICINE DOCTOR LARRY NASSAR: "It was about 'Izzo and Dantonio hid.' It wasn't about what happened. It was about a picture that will go down for the rest of my life as the lowest part of my life, being on there with a pedophile."
ON ALLEGATIONS OF MISHANDLING ACCUSATIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE BASKETBALL PROGRAM:"I did exactly what the procedures and the policies said. Now, could I go beyond those things? That's up for everybody's debate. But the time and place that everything happened, it was handled in the best way it could be handled. And so I regret that it happened."
ON DEALING WITH ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT: "I'm still American enough to hope there is a due process. ... As far as accusations of what players did or not, if there would have been a time where a player was found guilty of something, I promise you he will not be on this team. He will not be on this team. But if you want me to be, what is the word, a vigilante, to go out and do justice, I can't do that. I got a lot of kids. I can't do that."
ON THE NASSAR SCANDAL:"I'm not proud of anything that happened at our place as far as that situation went."
ON THE MONTHS SINCE LAST SEASON:"I mean the offseason, if I used the word 'good,' you know, I'm not going to use the word 'move on.' I'm going to use the words that 'I learned a lot.' I had a great appreciation for what all kinds of different people went through. ... So I have a few new missions in life. Win another championship is one of them. Used to be for a while that was the only one. So I've grown up as a coach, too, a little bit."
ON THE FUTURE:"It's been a tough eight, nine months for many, many, many people. Time doesn't heal; time helps heal. And learning helps heal. So I'm gonna use those two things — time and what I've learned — to try and help heal."
— CHRIS SOLARI
* * *
Rock shock
AN EARLY MEETING WITH THE NATION'S TOP TEAM TAUGHT THE SPARTANS WHAT THEY NEEDED TO LEARN
NOV. 6, 2018: NO. 1 KANSAS 92, NO. 10 MSU 87
By Chris Solari
For 30 minutes, Michigan State teetered on the verge of being blown out by top-ranked Kansas in the season opener.
But a curious thing about these Spartans emerged: They wouldn't go away. Not when Kansas built a 17-point lead in the first half. Not when the Jayhawks continued fending off all of their advances in the middle of the Champions Classic in Indianapolis on Nov. 6. And not when they were down 12 points with a little less than four minutes to play.
"I think we just found our zone and locked in as a team," MSU junior point guard Cassius Winston said. "We got a lot of guys with a lot of pride and a lot of guys with a lot of talent and just fought our way back."
The Spartans couldn't complete the comeback, falling to the Jayhawks, 92-87. Yet coach Tom Izzo discovered plenty about his 10th-ranked team. MSU pulled within three points on a Kyle Ahrens three-pointer with 34.6 seconds to play. The Jayhawks held on by making two free throws in the final 15 seconds after Winston missed two shots in the lane.
"What I learned about my team is, in the second half, they just kept grinding," Izzo said. "They kept grinding and played a lot harder. ... It's amazing what energy and a little toughness does for you."
MSU also showed there was plenty to work on in the coming weeks and months. The Spartans could not find consistent scoring, got beaten to loose balls, committed casual turnovers and missed free throws. MSU turned it over 18 times, failed on 12 of its 35 free throws and was beaten by two on the boards.
Winston had five turnovers, although none over the final 13-plus minutes. He finished with 13 points and 11 assists but made just three of 10 shots. Fifth-year forward Kenny Goins scored a career-high 17 points with 11 rebounds. Junior guard Joshua Langford led MSU with 18 points.
The other starters were senior guard Matt McQuaid (12 points) and junior forward Nick Ward (nine points but 5-for-10 from the line). Three reserves saw significant action: freshman forward Aaron Henry (four points and three rebounds in 14 minutes), sophomore forward Xavier Tillman (six points and five fouls in 13 minutes) and junior forward Ahrens (six points and three rebounds in nine minutes).
"When you lose a game," Izzo said, "those guys are a little more coachable tomorrow. And I got good, coachable kids. But everybody just thinks you're gonna do this and that. Might as well come out and get punched in the mouth and then figure it out."
* * *
Nick of time
WARD'S DOMINANT PERFORMANCE IN HOME OPENER BODES WELL FOR SPARTANS' HOPES DOWN THE ROAD
NOV. 11, 2018: NO. 10 MSU 106, FLORIDA GULF COAST 82
By Graham Couch
Nick Ward is one of those guys you either have the matchup advantage against or you don't, and if you don't, you have no chance. And you're probably in foul trouble.
Florida Gulf Coast, like many of the opponents ahead on Michigan State's schedule, had no chance on Nov. 11 in the home opener. On the other hand, five days earlier in Indianapolis, Kansas was the exact opposite.
But when Ward plays this hard and looks this dialed in and the matchup is in his favor, things like this Sunday night at the Breslin Center happen: 25 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two blocks in 23 minutes. He drew seven fouls in the first half alone (11 overall) and two flagrant fouls in the second half, one of which caused an opposing big man to be ejected for an overaggressive box out that left Ward tumbling over him.
There's a difference in Ward, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound junior forward who again decided to not test the NBA waters. There is a focus to him that's as relentless as his effort. Coach Tom Izzo sees it. It's partly why he jumped to Ward's defense after he thought Florida Gulf Coast's Ricky Doyle, a Michigan transfer, caught Ward with an elbow during the second half. Izzo took several steps onto the court, pointing and barking at Doyle, picking up a technical foul.
"I'm excited because he did not get frustrated," Izzo said after a 106-82 blowout. "That's a game last year that would have been chippy the other way."
The most important play of Ward's night, however: His wrap-around pass deep in the post to Xavier Tillman for a lay-up. Ward wouldn't have seen the possibility of that play a year ago.
"They had him down for four assists. That's a career, not a career-high," Izzo said. "When you look at the change from the Kansas game ... significant, significant improvement."
Card tricks
ACC CHALLENGE ON THE ROAD IS A RUDE AWAKENING FOR THE KIDS, ESPECIALLY ONCE WINSTON FOULS OUT
NOV. 27, 2018: LOUSIVLLE 82, NO. 9 MSU 78 (OT)
By Graham Couch
In college basketball, there's no place like the road. No neutral court preps you for the confidence and energy 15,000 fans give a home underdog.
Michigan State figures to be a good road basketball team. But the road sometimes wins. It did Nov. 27 at Louisville as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, 82-78 in overtime.
Almost nothing went right for the ninth-ranked Spartans most of the game against the Cardinals (4-2). Then it got worse, when point guard Cassius Winston fouled out with 4:01 remaining in regulation and the Spartans trailing by one, leaving Foster Loyer to finish the game handling the ball.
MSU (5-2) went cold from the floor in OT — until a Gabe Brown three-pointer with nine seconds left cut the deficit to one — and cold from the line at the end of regulation — where Loyer missed the front end of a one-and-one with a one-point lead and 36 seconds left and Kenny Goins missed the front of another with the score tied and eight seconds left.
What stood out was the fearlessness, if not the execution. Joshua Langford's response when Winston went out showed how he understood who he must be for this season's team — two quick buckets when Winston sat down, another early in OT, a drive and step-back from the top of the key for a 71-70 lead. Then, he turned around and yelled at his teammates, pumping his fist demonstratively. Fans hadn't seen a will to win like this from the junior guard. Yes, he made some mistakes: a bad turnover late with the lead and an intentionally missed free throw that didn't hit the rim. He had the look of a go-to guy, though.
Freshmen Brown and Loyer — little used to this point — played critical roles, in an environment unlike anything they had experienced. Loyer did some good things. He made a big shot in regulation, a nice pass on the break in overtime. He also looked like a freshman — at the free-throw line (he once made 119 in a row at Clarkston High), in his decisions, on defense.
Jersey boys
WINSTON AND WARD GUT IT OUT IN FRONT OF A RARE RUTGERS SELLOUT CROWD IN THE B1G OPENER
NOV. 30, 2018: NO. 9 MSU 78, RUTGERS 67
By J.P. Pelzman
For the second time in four days, Michigan State faced a pulsating, hostile atmosphere before the calendar turned to December.
But this time the ninth-ranked Spartans were able to withstand the pressure and an improbable six-point possession by Rutgers en route to a 78-67 victory Nov. 30 in their Big Ten opener at the cozy RAC in Piscataway, N.J. It was the first sellout in 20 years at the 8,000-seat arena.
Cassius Winston scored a game-high 22 points, including a dagger three-point play with 4:22 to go. His spin move for an and-one produced a 6857 lead after he converted the free throw. He added a three-pointer for a 14-point advantage soon afterward. Playing a complete floor game, Winston dished out six assists and committed no turnovers in 35 minutes.
The Spartans (6-2) seemed well on their way to bouncing back from their OT loss at Louisville when a 12-1 run opened a 13-point lead with 8:31 to play. But Rutgers (5-2) sliced the lead to seven — 59-52 — in a single possession.
With 6:47 left, Rutgers' Geo Baker made a jumper while MSU's Kyle Ahrens was committing a flagrant 1 foul on Shaq Doorson underneath the basket. Those were the first two points. Doorson made both free throws for the next two points. The Scarlet Knights received the ball out of bounds and missed a jumper but Doorson dunked the rebound for the final two points of the six-point possession.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Green Giants!"
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