Michigan State Men's Basketball Named Powerhouse Program By ESPN
10/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 24, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's basketball team has been named one of college basketball's "Powerhouse Programs" by ESPN. The Spartans and nine other programs will be highlighted during the Honor Roll series, airing Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. on ESPNU. Of the 10 programs profiled, Michigan State is one of just seven division I men's teams. The others are Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA. The Connecticut and Tennessee women's programs, along with division II Kentucky Wesleyan round out the 10-program list.
"It's an incredible honor because it means we've sustained something over time," said MSU head coach Tom Izzo. "Like everything else today, we probably got the benefit of having recent success, and yet there is a lot of great history here at Michigan State when you look at the great players and coaches who have been here. This list will bring light to the fact that we haven't accomplished everything, but we've done a lot more than we give ourselves credit for or others sometimes give us credit for. I'm excited to try and live up to such a prestigious honor this year and the years ahead."
The history of Michigan State basketball includes two national championships (1979, 2000), six Final Fours (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005) and 10 Big Ten Championships (1957, 1959, 1967, 1978, 1979, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001). The Spartans are the only team to appear in four of the last seven Final Fours and are just the eighth team in college basketball history to accomplish the feat in any seven-year period. But not all of MSU's success has come in the last few seasons. The six Final Fours are spread out over four different decades. Additionally, MSU's NCAA Tournament winning percentage of .690 ranks sixth all-time.
Besides the team accomplishments, there have been some great individuals to go through the Spartan basketball program over the years. Earvin "Magic" Johnson was an All-American in both of his seasons at MSU and led the Spartans to their first NCAA Championship in 1979. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Johnny Green was MSU's first three-time All-American from 1957-59 and teamed with '57 All-American Jack Quiggle to lead MSU to the 1957 Final Four. Among the other great names in Spartan history are Shawn Respert, Steve Smith, Scott Skiles and Greg Kelser, each of whom scored more than 2,000 career points. More recently, Mateen Cleaves won back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year awards in 1998 and 1999, and was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2000 Final Four.
Michigan State has also been blessed with great coaches over the years. Hall of Famer Pete Newell served for four years as Spartan coach and led MSU into the Big Ten. He was followed by Forddy Anderson, who coached 11 seasons and led State to its first Final Four in 1957. Jud Heathcote took over before the 1976-77 season and within three seasons won an NCAA Championship in 1979. He finished his career with 340 wins at MSU, making him the winningest coach in school history. Now in his 11th season as head coach, Izzo has had one of the most successful starts to a coaching career in basketball history. He is one of just two coaches to appear in four Final Fours in his first 10 seasons and one of just six in NCAA history to appear in four Final Fours in any seven-year span. His 233 wins are the seventh most by any coach in his first 10 seasons in the history of college basketball.
This is the fourth week in ESPNU's five-week Honor Roll series, the first original series in the network's history. Other programs in the series have included Greatest Games, Greatest Coaches, Greatest Players, Greatest Teams, Best Venues, Fiercest Rivalries, Big Time Characters, Clutch Performances and Stories of Significance. After each show, ESPNU's signature anchor Mike Hall is joined by college basketball analysts Steve Lavin and Rick Majerus to debate the Top 10 list.
