Men's Basketball Opens 2002-03 With Spirited Practice
10/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 12, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State men's basketball head coach Tom Izzo put his team through its first practice of the 2002-03 season on Saturday morning in the auxiliary gymnasium of the Breslin Center.
With just four players on the 17-man roster with more than one year of experience, including six first-year players, much of the first practice was spent teaching.
"The first practice is always interesting," said Izzo. "But, there is no question I like my team and I like all the new players. With the number of newcomers we have, we spent a lot of time teaching today. I was pleased to see our upperclassmen doing a good job of helping their younger teammates.
"This year, I think we have a great skill level. And when you look in the eyes of our players at practice, you see that they all want to learn and get better. As a coach, I can't ask for anything more. The rest is up to me and my staff."
One year ago, sophomore Chris Hill (Indianapolis, Ind.) was taking part in his first practice as a Spartan. Today, he opens the 2002-03 season as Michigan State's leading scorer. After spending a season on a team without a lot of depth, Hill noticed a Spartan team that was practicing at a much higher level this season.
"Right from the start I could tell a big difference," explained Hill. "There were a lot more guys, all playing at a high level. That's to be expected in the first practice. I have a real good feeling about this team.
"For everyone, but especially the first-year players, they have to look at the first weeks of practice as a learning experience. It's up to the guys that have been here before to help the others in their transition."
Senior Aloysius Anagonye (Southfield) knew what to expect of the first practice. Although extra time was spent explaining certain things, Anagonye was very pleased with the energy level.
"Everyone is always excited about the first day of practice," said Anagonye. "It's always a learning experience. I knew that people would make some mistakes, because everyone had a lot of energy. I've been through enough of these to realize that's to be expected. It's the job of the upperclassmen to pick up the new guys."
One of the players making his first appearance at a Spartan practice was freshman Paul Davis (Rochester). A McDonald's All-American as a high school senior, Davis realized that college basketball at Michigan State is a much different situation.
"Practice started off with a great deal of intensity and it never let down," said Davis. "Everyone was cheering each other on and providing encouragement, regardless of which team scored. We had a bunch of guys that battled every time we stepped on the court. It was great to be a part of this for the first time."
Michigan State's Green-White Game will be Saturday, Oct. 26 at 3:30 p.m. Admission is free. MSU's first game action will come in an exhibition contest against the Magic Johnson All-Stars on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. The Spartans' first regular-season game will be a home game vs. UNC Asheville at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22.
