Men's Basketball Holds First Practice Of 2001-02 Season
10/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 13, 2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo put his team through a two-hour practice on Saturday morning, October 13, marking the first practice of the 2001-02 basketball season. It was also the first practice the team has held in the new auxiliary gymnasium of the Berkowitz Basketball Complex addition to the Breslin Center.
With only six lettermen returning from the 2000-01 Big Ten Champion and Final Four squad, Coach Izzo spent the first practice of the season doing a lot of teaching.
"I am very excited to be back practicing," said Izzo. "It's different, however, because there are so many things that as a coaching staff we now have to teach that we used to expect our players to know. That's just a result of having a young team. It's a new challenge for our team and one that we welcome."
Despite the different tone from years past, Izzo was still pleased with his team after its first practice.
"I liked the enthusiasm that I saw from a lot of different players," explained Izzo. "I thought my upperclassmen like Marcus Taylor and Aloysius Anagonye did a great job both today and last night with the freshmen. I am also pleased that the freshmen all picked up on what we were teaching very quickly."
The sentiment of the returning Spartans was similar to their head coach, and like Coach Izzo, they were pleased with the first practice.
"We definitely took a different approach today," said sophomore center Jason Andreas (Sugarcreek, Ohio). "Before practice, Coach Izzo explained that there were not as many veterans as we've had recently so we would spend more time running through some drills to make sure everyone was on the same page. Coach used the upperclassmen to demonstrate some of the drills we regularly use in practice and then the freshmen stepped in and did a great job. I think that everyone had fun today."
"Practice went very well today," added senior guard Mat Ishbia (Birmingham, Mich.), the lone senior on the team. "There was a lot of teaching today as the freshmen got a taste of what Spartan basketball is all about. There were also some periods with great intensity. A lot of information was thrown at our freshmen and I'm sure they'll be able to pick everything up very quickly."
For freshman guard Chris Hill (Indianapolis, Ind.), his first real practice as a Spartan was something new.
"Today was definitely a learning experience for me," said Hill. "It was a lot different from anything in high school. There was a lot of instruction and teaching coming from both the coaching staff and the upperclassmen. Coach Izzo also talked to us freshmen before practice and asked us to bring enthusiasm to the team. I think we did that today. Overall, I enjoyed my first Spartan practice."
Finally, some Spartans were just happy to be starting another season.
"Now is the time when all the hard work that we put in during our summer and fall workouts and conditioning pays off," said junior forward Aloysius Anagonye (Southfield, Mich.). "This is the fun part of the season."
Michigan State's first game action will come in an exhibition contest against the Magic Johnson All-Stars on Friday, Nov. 2 at 9 p.m. The Spartans' first game will come on Monday, Nov. 12 when MSU hosts Detroit in the first round of the Preseason NIT. With a win, the Spartans would host a second-round game vs. either Oklahoma or Central Connecticut State on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 9 p.m. Michigan State will open the Big Ten season on Jan. 5 at Minnesota.
