The World According To Aloysius
12/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 17, 2000
The World According To Aloysius By Dina Karwoski, MSU Sports Information
This forward can tackle any of life's little mysteries. He might quote a little Confucius. Maybe he'll spit a little Darwinism. But for sophomore center Aloysius Anagonye, this basketball world is according to him. He can give you his ideas and philosophies on whatever you ask: fashion, music, religion. You name the topic, he's willing to discuss. He's a modern day theorist, not set in his ways, willing to hear an opposing thought on the subject, although his 6-8, 255 pound frame would indicate otherwise. So what great philosopher tutored him in this way of thinking?
"As a young man it's hard to understand what you should be doing if other people aren't willing to help you," explained Aloysius. "As a young man, I was blessed with people around me helping me figure out what I am capable of and what I want for myself. It was the people around me that helped mold and shape me. My AAU coach, my former assistant high school coach, and of course my mom and dad. They have all helped me realize that life is about being happy and making people around you happy."
Majoring in business, Anagonye has as a keen business sense as he does basketball abilities. His approach to the game is much like that of a successful Wall Street banker, there is always the simple law of supply and demand as well as what it takes to insure your business succeeds.
"Basketball has its own business. You know how players always say let's go handle our business. There might not be an economic or accounting aspect, but you approach the game like I would hope every good business man would approach his work," said Anagonye. "The key is to study the game and to apply what is learned to the game. Study your opponents, study yourself, just like you would in a business. You need to realize what your team needs, just like a business must understand what the consumer wants."
Anagonye has found that beyond his extensive knowledge of economics and business, he has become all too familiar with basketball's own set of business ethics, a.k.a. fouls and their penalties. It has taken patience and practice to correct the insistent problem, one that needed to be fixed for him to have his chance to play.
"First, my coaches paid careful attention to what I was doing in the game. They saw what my problems were and realized I was overexerting myself. Especially playing in the post, they realized that I was too into trying to defend," said the ever-analytical Anagonye. "During the summer, I sat down and watched hours and hours of film on what I was doing wrong. I tried to watch other people's play, to see how they defended. It was like going to school, studying so much. A person's level of success is often based on their ability to adapt"
In the metaphor that Anagonye paints, basketball, in essence, can be a direct mirror of life. His philosophies are often reflected by the approach of the entire Spartan team and its coaching staff.
"Coach Izzo doesn't want us just to be successful basketball players, but successful young men in life. You can always say basketball is just a game, but basketball could be a lesson for life," explained Anagonye. "You have to take everything that happens to you and apply and learn from it, so it isn't a hardship you have to learn in life."
Sometimes it takes people a lifetime to realize their faults and be willing to change them. But for Anagonye, he knows that basketball has kept him from venturing down the wrong path in life.
"Although basketball is just a game, it still has taught me a valuable life lesson in how to manage my frustrations. So many young people aren't sure what to do with the pent up frustration and go out and do dumb things and end up in the wrong places. As I continue to play the game it has taught me patience and given me an outlet. I have also learned how to deal with people, as far as dealing with all types of different people in your teammates.
Look out Socrates, Big Al might just have to disprove and modernize your level of thinking. To Spartan fans, his game is just as unique as his character and thinking, an appropriate mix of fundamental skill, personality and ability that only Aloysius Anagonye could bring to the court.