Michigan State Trio Gives Seniors Early Graduation Gift

April 1, 2005

By LARRY LAGE
AP Sports Writer

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan State's toughness made the Spartans one of college basketball's better teams.

By adding quickness and athleticism, the Spartans have become an elite program - reaching the Final Four four times in seven years.

"I think we've had as many highlight-film plays as anyone in the country," coach Tom Izzo said.

Michigan State went to three straight Final Fours from 1999-2001, and won the national championship in 2000, with a physical style. The current squad has been regarded as the same type of team, despite fullcourt man-to-man pressure, spectacular dunks and blazing fast breaks.

Shooting guard Shannon Brown bristles when he hears the Spartans referred to as a rugged team.

"We've got athletes, too," he said.

Izzo said Brown and Maurice Ager have developed into more than players with an ability to dunk and score on acrobatic layups.

"What I see both of them being able to do better is taking the ball off the dribble," Izzo said. "You can be a great athlete, but in basketball you have to take the ball with you. If you can't take it with you, you become an average athlete."

Michigan State, however, hasn't forsaken brawn - not with Paul Davis in the lineup. As the Spartans head into Saturday night's semifinal against North Carolina, the 6-foot-11 Davis is being counted on to display his skills and improved strength against Tar Heels star center Sean May.

Davis, the first Spartans player since Earvin "Magic" Johnson to have three straight double-doubles in the NCAA tournament, knows his task is tough.

"With a player like that, you can't stop him, but you can slow him down," Davis said of May.

And May is equally impressed with Davis: "Paul's about as good as they get. He can really shoot the basketball from the perimeter, he's got some great post moves and he's an underrated defender."

Sophomore Brown and juniors Davis and Ager made the all-regional team after fifth-seeded Michigan State knocked off top seed Duke and second-seeded Kentucky in Austin. Brown was the most outstanding player.

Brown scored a career-high 24 points in the thrilling double-overtime victory over Kentucky in the regional championship game. Davis recorded double-doubles in points and rebounds in the last three games, and Ager totaled 35 points against Duke and Kentucky.

The Spartans' march to St. Louis has provided delayed vindication for much-maligned seniors Alan Anderson, Kelvin Torbert and Chris Hill.

Early departures for the NBA forced the trio into bigger roles as freshmen. Along with former walk-on Tim Bograkos, they fell one victory short of the Final Four as sophomores in 2003, were relegated to contenders instead of champions in the Big Ten the next two years and entered the NCAAs this year with an 81-43 overall record.

Anderson, Torbert and Hill were good, not great - and for that, they were called losers and chokers. It took them and their teammates nearly two years to snap a 12-game losing streak against ranked opponents because they couldn't make key shots or stops.

Now, State's much-maligned seniors are ending their careers where they thought they would be all along: in the Final Four.

"We're working on sending them out right," Davis said.