Great Alaska Shootout Awaits Men's Basketball
11/25/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2002-03 Michigan State BasketballMichigan State (1-0)vs. Montana (0-1, will play 11/26)November 28, 200212 midnight ESTSullivan Arena (8,700)Anchorage, AlaskaMedia Coverage
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM (1240 AM/97.5 FM)
TV: ESPN - Bob Carpenter (Play by Play), Jimmy Dykes (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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Great Alaska Shootout BracketDownload Free Acrobat Reader
The Opening Tip
Spartans In Alaska - 2002 marks the second time the Spartans have competed in the Great Alaska Shootout. Michigan State first participated in 1989, capturing first place with victories over Auburn, Texas A&M and Kansas State. MSU would finish the 1989-90 season with a 28-6 record and go on to win the Big Ten Championship.
Two More Notes No Media Person Should Be Without
Returns From Injury - After missing the first two exhibition games while recovering from ankle surgery, sophomore guard Kelvin Torbert played 20 minutes against UNC Asheville, scoring five points and playing solid defense. The bigger return, however, was that of Adam Wolfe. After suffering a season-ending hamstring injury last January, it was unknown whether he would play again. Although he played just eight minutes, he provided MSU with an emotional lift.
The Alaska Field - The 2002 Great Alaska Shootout consists of five teams that appeared in postseason tournaments last March. Besides Michigan State, Montana, Oklahoma State and Wyoming all made the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Villanova participated in the Postseason NIT.
Probable Starting LineupsMichigan State Spartans (1-0) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #25 Aloysius Anagonye (Sr., 6-8, 260)11.0 6.0 0.0F - #15 Alan Anderson (So., 6-6, 220) 8.0 4.0 4.0F - #55 Adam Ballinger (Sr., 6-9, 250) 9.0 3.0 2.0G - #5 Chris Hill (So., 6-3, 190) 18.0 3.0 5.0G - #23 Kelvin Torbert (So., 6-4, 215) 5.0 0.0 0.0OR #30 Tim Bograkos (So., 6-2, 190) 4.0 3.0 2.0
Montana Grizzlies (0-1 - will play 11/26)Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #34 Steve Horne (Jr., 6-6, 190) 15.0 12.0 4.0F - #55 Victor Venters (Jr., 6-8, 220) 3.0 3.0 1.0F - #33 Marcus Rosser (Sr., 6-7, 230) 10.0 8.0 1.0G - #10 Derrick Mansell (Jr., 6-2, 190) 5.0 4.0 4.0G - #20 David Bell (Sr., 6-1, 175) 26.0 1.0 1.0
Coach Izzo - In his eighth year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 168-65 (.721), 82-34 (.707) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. He is the third-winningest coach in MSU history, trailing only Jud Heathcote (340) and Benjamin VanAlstyne (232) in total wins. Izzo's 167 wins in his first seven years give him the fifth most by a coach in his first seven seasons of coaching in college basketball history. In his seven seasons of coaching, Izzo has won National Coach of the Year honors three times, including NABC honors in 2001. In 1999, Izzo was named national coach of the year by Basketball Times, while earning similar honors from Associated Press, Basketball News and the USBWA in '98.
Izzo's Two Decades - The 2002-03 season marks Tom Izzo's 20th with the Spartan basketball program. Now in his eighth year as a head coach, Izzo spent 12 years as an assistant under Jud Heathcote.
In-Season Tournaments - The 2002 Great Alaska Shootout marks the fifth in-season tournament in which the Spartans have competed under Tom Izzo, not including seven Spartan Classics. In Izzo's first season in 1995, MSU finished 1-2 in the Maui Invitational. During the 1998-99 season, the Spartans won the Pearl Harbor Classic. The following season, MSU finished second in the Puerto Rico Shootout. Last year, the Spartans won two games to advance to the Preseason NIT Final Four.
Heathcote's Start - Michigan State coaching legend Jud Heathcote started his head coaching career at Montana, where he posted a five-year record of 80-53. Heathcote's best year at Montana was 1974-75, when the Grizzlies posted a 21-8 record and 13-1 in the Big Sky Conference to win the school's first conference title. In 19 years at MSU, Heathcote posted a record of 340-220 before retiring in 1995.
Montana Notes
Coach Kennedy - Pat Kennedy (Kings College, '75) is in his first season as head coach at Montana with a record of 0-1. Overall, this is his 23rd year as a head coach in a career that has seen stops at DePaul, Florida State, and Iona, with a record of 393-277. Kennedy appeared in the Shootout with each of his previous schools.
Grizzlies Fall In Opener - Montana lost to Northern Iowa, 77-71, in its season opener on Friday, Nov. 22. The Grizzlies were led by senior guard David Bell's 26 points. Junior forward Steve Horne added 15 points. Montana held a 33-29 lead at the half, but was outscored, 48-38, in the second period. Montana will play host to Denver on Tuesday, Nov. 26, before traveling to Alaska.
Grizzly Notes - Montana finished the 2002 season with a 16-15 record, but won the Big Sky Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 15 seed before falling to Oregon. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Spartans and Grizzlies.
Great Alaska Shootout Team Notes
Alaska-Anchorage (1-1) - Possible game three opponent ... tournament host ... has never met Michigan State ... led by 10th-year head coach Charlie Bruns ... junior forward Peter Bullock scored 34 points in season-opening victory over Lincoln Christian.
College of Charleston (2-0) - Possible game three opponent ... has never met Michigan State ... led by first-year head coach Tom Herrion who previously served as an assistant under Pete Gillen at Virginia ... Herrion replaced John Kresse, who had served as head coach since the 1979-80 season ... C of C has won 82 percent of its games over the last nine years and appeared in the 1997 Shootout title game.
Loyola Marymount (2-0) - Possible game two opponent ... fourth-year head coach Steve Aggers is in his 24th year as a college head coach ... MSU leads the all-time series, 2-0 ... freshman Brandon Worthy scored 20 points in the season-opening victory over Loyola (IL), establishing a school record for points in a freshman debut.
Oklahoma State (1-0) - Possible game three opponent ... Eddie Sutton is in his 33rd year as a college head coach, entering the Shootout with a record of 703-278, good for 14th place on the all-time NCAA win list ... the Cowboys are making their second trip to Shootout after going 1-2 in 1994, the year OSU advanced to the Final Four ... Coach Sutton is making his fifth trip to the Shootout after making two with Arkansas (1980 & '83), one with Kentucky (1988) and one with Oklahoma State (1994) ... all-time series with MSU is tied, 1-1.
Villanova (1-1) - Possible game two opponent ... lost to Marquette and former Spartan assistant Tom Crean, 73-61, in season opener in Coaches vs. Cancer Classic ... Villanova leads the all-time series, 2-1, with MSU winning the most recent matchup in the 1989 Postseason NIT, 70-63 ... Villanova's leading scorer in 2002, Gary Buchanan is expected to miss the tournament with a knee injury.
Wyoming (1-0) - Possible game three opponent ... fifth-year head coach Steve McClain picked up 80th-career win in season-opening victory over Denver ... two-time defending Mountain West champions ... defeated Gonzaga in the 2002 NCAA Tournament first round, before falling to Arizona in the second round ... senior forward Marcus Bailey is the preseason Mountain West Player of the Year and one of 50 John R. Wooden Award Preseason All-Americans.
Game 1 Notes - Michigan State 66 - UNC Asheville 52
* Chris Hill's 18 points were the third most in his career and the most for a Spartan in a season debut since Jason Richardson scored 25 points in the 2000-01 opener vs. Oakland.* MSU's 66-52 victory marked the 26th-consecutive season that the Spartans had opened with a win.* Tim Bograkos made the first start of his career.* Eleven different Spartans played in the first half.
MSU Basketball Notes
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.
Preseason Favorites - Michigan State was selected as the preseason favorite for the Big Ten Championship by both the league's media and coaches. Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans welcome the expectations as it signifies a sign of respect for the program. It is also a sign that the Spartans are a true team that relies on many different players as no individual was selected to the preseason All-Big Ten team. Michigan State was last tabbed as the preseason favorite in 2001, when it finished in a tie for first place.
MSU In November - Michigan State has an all-time record of 54-14 in games played during the month of November.
In The Polls - Michigan State is ranked 10th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released on Nov. 25. Five Spartan opponents are ranked, including No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 16 Kentucky, No. 20 Indiana, No. 22 Minnesota and No. 25 Illinois. In The Associated Press Top 25 released on Nov. 25, MSU is ranked ninth.
Significant Depth - After playing the 2001-02 season with just eight recruited 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. In MSU's opener vs. UNC Asheville, the Spartans played 11 different players in the first half.
The Soft Touch - Seniors Aloysius Anagonye and Adam Ballinger will soon find themselves ranked among the top field-goal shooters in Michigan State history. The only thing holding them back now is the number of attempts needed to qualify on the career chart (350). Anagonye is shooting .549 for his career (185-337), which would rank ninth, while Ballinger is shooting .552 (171-310), which would rank eighth.
Izzo Featured On ESPN - Tom Izzo and the Michigan State basketball program were one of six teams featured on ESPN's SportsCenter during a week-long series by college basketball analyst Jay Bilas on Monday, Nov. 18. The series, entitled "Bilas On The Bench With:", took a behind-the-scenes look at practice with a microphone on each coach, while also interviewing the coach about his specific philosophies on the game.
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. Entering this season, the two of them had played in a combined total of 191 games at Michigan State. The remaining 15 players on the roster had appeared in 232 games. The Montana contest will mark Anagonye's 100th-career game.
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.
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 60 of its last 62 regular-season games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .968. Additionally, the Breslin Center has been sold out for 68 consecutive regular-season games.
Monsters On The Glass - For the fifth-straight year, Michigan State led the Big Ten in rebound margin in 2001-02, outrebounding its opponents by an average of 7.9 boards per game. In Tom Izzo's seven years as head coach, Michigan State has never ranked worse than second in the Big Ten in rebound margin.
Coaching Consistency - One of the keys to MSU's success is continuity on the coaching staff. The four member coaching staff have been at MSU for a combined 43 years. Tom Izzo is in his 20th season as a Spartan, having spent the first 12 as an assistant. Associate head coach Brian Gregory is in his 10th year at MSU and fourth year in his current stint. Mike Garland is a college teammate of Izzo's and has been an assistant for seven of Izzo's eight years as head coach. Mark Montgomery is in his second season as an assistant, after four years as MSU's point guard.
Block Party - Junior Aloysius Anagonye ranks tied for seventh on the MSU career blocked shots list with 68 rejections. With one block, he will tie DuJuan Wiley and Quinton Brooks at 69 for fifth place. Anagonye's teammate, Adam Ballinger, is 10th on the career blocks chart with 53.
Exhibition Recap - Michigan State finished the exhibition portion of the schedule with a 1-1 record. After falling to Magic Johnson's All-Stars, 104-85, in the opener, behind a triple-double by Magic Johnson, the Spartans defeated Nike Elite, 56-55.
Hill Is Most Recent Wooden Nominee - Chris Hill is one of this year's 50 John R. Wooden Award Preseason All-Americans. He is just the latest Spartan to be nominated for the prestigious award. Last season, Marcus Taylor was a preseason honoree. In 2000-01, both Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson were preseason nominees while Bell and Jason Richardson were among the 20 finalists. At season's end, Bell was named a Wooden All-American. During the 1999-2000 season, Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson were both recognized as Wooden All-Americans, an honor that Cleaves also received in 1999.
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 26 regular-season games televised (not including postseason). Of those 26, 17 could be broadcast by national networks, including eight on ESPN, four on ESPN2 and five more on CBS.
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.
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.
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."
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 at 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.
The Golden Arches - Michigan State is becoming the home for McDonald's All-Americans. Over the past four seasons, five McDonald's All-Americans have joined the Spartan squad, including Jason Richardson in 1999, Marcus Taylor and McDonald's All-American All-Star game MVP Zach Randolph in 2000, Kelvin Torbert in 2001 and Paul Davis in 2002.
Home To Mr. Basketball - The last four recipients of Michigan's Mr. Basketball Award, presented to the top high school player in the state, have all gone on to wear a Spartan jersey. Jason Richardson (Saginaw Arthur Hill HS) won the award in 1999, followed by Marcus Taylor (Lansing Waverly HS) in 2000, Kelvin Torbert (Flint Northwestern HS) in 2001 and Paul Davis (Rochester HS) in 2002.
Spartans In The NBA - Michigan State led the Big Ten with eight players on opening day rosters in the NBA. Listed below is an update on eight former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats current through Nov. 25.)
Mateen Cleaves (Sacramento): 0 GP, currently on injured list Jamie Feick (New Jersey): 0 GP, currently on injured list Morris Peterson (Toronto): 13 GP, 36.8 mpg, 13.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.1 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 12 GP, 12.3 mpg, 6.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 14 GP, 37.1 mpg, 17.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.0 apg Steve Smith (San Antonio): 6 GP, 24.7 mpg, 9.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.5 apg Eric Snow (Philadelphia): 14 GP, 39.6 mpg, 9.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 8.0 apg Kevin Willis (San Antonio): 11 GP, 7.7 mpg, 4.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Spartans Keep Reloading - Michigan State signed three players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period. The class is a consensus top-five class, including a No. 4 ranking from recruiting analyst Dave Telep.
Shannon Brown (G, 6-3, 190, Maywood, Ill./Proviso East) is the consensus pick as the No. 1 shooting guard in the nation. As a junior, he averaged 24 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals en route to earning first-team all-state honors. Overall, Dave Telep and Bob Gibbons have him ranked as the No. 9 player in the nation.
Brandon Cotton (G, 6-0, 170, Detroit/DePorres) averaged 28.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals as a junior. He earned Class C All-State and All-Detroit honors from both the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News. Cotton is ranked the No. 17 player in the nation and No. 3 point guard in the country by PrepStars.com. Cotton led DePorres to a 17-4 record and a Catholic AA Division title.
Drew Naymick (C, 6-10, 235, Muskegon/North Muskegon) averaged 21.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 6.4 blocks as a junior, earning Class C All-State honors. He also shot a remarkable 70.6 percent from the field. Over the summer, he gained significant national experience while playing at the 2002 USA Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival (with Brown and Cotton) and participating at the Nike Camp where he was named to Dave Telep's All-Nike Camp team.
