Men's Basketball Holds Annual Media Day
10/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Oct. 8, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - More than 70 media members attended the 2002-03 Michigan State Men's Basketball Media Day. Head coach Tom Izzo and every member of the Spartan basketball team were on hand to answer every conceivable question from print, radio and television media.
Media Day Notes
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One For The Thumb - Last season, Michigan State missed becoming just the second team in Big Ten history to win five straight conference championships, finishing just one game out of first place. This season, however, the Spartans still have a chance to reach elite status by winning a fifth Big Ten crown in a span of six years. Only the Ohio State squads of 1960-64 that captured five championships in a row can claim such an honor.
A Trendy Pick - Although the Associated Press won't release its first poll of the season until November, internet experts and preseason magazines have already made their predictions and the Spartans are a popular choice among the nation's top teams. Here's a sampling of where MSU is ranked: Athlon - Sweet 16; Blue Ribbon - 11th; ESPN.com - 11th; FoxSports.com - 15th; Lindy's - 7th; Street & Smith's - 13th. Among the magazines that predict the conference order of finish, Michigan State is the unanimous pick to win the league.
Dominating The Big Ten - Over the past five seasons, Michigan State has posted a 64-16 Big Ten record, a remarkable winning percentage of .800. Illinois is the only other team to have as many as 50 conference wins over that same time period, posting a 51-29 mark.
Significant Depth - After playing the 2001-02 season with just eight recruitied scholarship players (before injuries), the Spartans feature great depth in 2002-03. Depth, a common factor on Michigan State's Final Four squads, leads to more competitive practices, while also allowing Coach Izzo to play the aggressive defense and up-tempo game he prefers.
Young At Heart - Depth does not always equal experience. Although Michigan State has eight players returning who averaged more than 10 minutes per game in 2001-02, just four players (Aloysius Anagonye, Jason Andreas, Adam Ballinger and Adam Wolfe) have more than one year of playing experience with the Spartans. This means MSU does not have a backcourt player with more than one year of experience.
An Experienced Pair - Seniors Aloysius Anagonye and Adam Ballinger are the senior foundation of a young Spartan squad. The two of them have played in a combined total of 191 games at Michigan State. The remaining 15 players on the roster have appeared in 232 games.
Air Time - Over the last four years, Michigan State has averaged over 29 television broadcasts per year, including more than 21 per year on national television networks. In 2002-03, MSU could have as many as 25 regular-season games televised (not including postseason). Of those 25, 17 could be broadcast by national networks, including eight on ESPN, four on ESPN2 and five more on CBS.
Tough Opponents - Michigan State's 2002-03 schedule features 15 teams that appeared in postseason play in 2002. NCAA Tournament teams include Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State (possible Great Alaska Shootout opponent), Wisconsin and Wyoming (possible Great Alaska Shootout opponent). Iowa, Minnesota, South Florida, Syracuse, Villanova (possible Great Alaska Shootout opponent) and Virginia all appeared in the National Invitation Tournament.
Summer Plans - Coach Izzo has said this was the best summer of work and preparation by any team since he has been at Michigan State. This includes several players who gained additional experience away from the MSU campus. Chris Hill played with the Big Ten Foreign Tour team, ranking second on the team in scoring with 12.2 ppg. He also played a majority of minutes as the squad's point guard, leading the team in assists (3.0 apg) and steals (2.2 spg). While Hill played in Europe, Aloysius Anagonye, Jason Andreas and Adam Ballinger attended Pete Newell's Big Man Camp in Hawaii in August.
Sophomore Explosion - Michigan State has developed a tradition of sophomores who elevate their game tremendously in their second year, dating back to Greg Kelser who raised his scoring average by 10 points from his first to his second year. Steve Smith went from averaging under 11 points as a freshman to nearly 18 points as a sophomore. More recently, after some struggles as a freshman, Mateen Cleaves averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 assists in his second season, earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors. In 2001, sophomore Jason Richardson earned second-team Associated Press All-America honors after averaging just five points as a freshman. Last season, Marcus Taylor became just the second player in Big Ten history to lead the conference in scoring and assists, one season after averaging fewer than eight points per contest. This season, Alan Anderson (6.5 ppg in '01-02), Chris Hill (11.5 ppg in '01-02) and Kelvin Torbert (8.2 ppg in '01-02) seem like good candidates for the "Spartan Sophomore Explosion."
New Faces - Considered by many analysts to be the second-ranked recruiting class in the nation, the five-member class of 2002 should immediately contribute to the Spartans. Maurice Ager is a very quick guard that is Tom Izzo's first recruit from the Detroit Public School League. Paul Davis is one of the top players in his class and Michigan's Mr. Basketball winner for 2002. Rashi Johnson is a junior college transfer who led Mott (Flint) Community College to an appearance in the national championship game of the 2001 NJCAA Division II Tournament. Erazem Lorbek joins the Spartans from Slovenia where he gained valuable international experience. Delco Rowley brings strength and athleticism to the power forward position.
The Breslin Experience - Although MSU's 53-game homecourt winning streak was snapped in 2002, the Breslin Center continues to be one of college basketball's great homecourt advantages. Over the past four years, Michigan State has won 59 of its last 61 games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .967. Additionally, the Breslin Center has been sold out for 67 consecutive regular-season games.
