Michigan State University Athletics
Because Pride Still Matters
1/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2001
It's a story fit for a movie. No, not your typical Rudy-feel good type plot, rather a story of pride. MSU freshman guard Tim Bograkos isn't your proto-typical Division I point guard. Maybe he's a little smaller, a bit slower, not quite a floor general, but Bograkos might possess the most important ingredient for a guard: pride. Pride in what he has accomplished and where he is from. Coming from an area like Flint, Michigan, Bograkos knows there is still one thing that brings the community together. High school basketball in this blue-collar community is as important as football in western Pennsylvania, it's a shining light. Growing up playing on its playgrounds, Bograkos knows that there is a lot of pressure on him to provide that spark.
"Coming from Flint, I have realized that there is so much pride and confidence that I don't want to let anyone down," explained Bograkos. "I am proud to be from that area, and know that people want to see you succeed. The guys before me have done so much, you just want to make sure you do your best."
A Flint Central product, Bograkos turned down offers from several MAC schools in order to come to Michigan State and attempt to walk on to the Spartan program. He desired more than anything to rejoin childhood teammate Charlie Bell in attempts to insure that "Flintstones" pride. He is also well aware of the reputation that fellow Flint natives such as Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and Antonio Smith have left in recent years.
"I really just wanted to come and join a program as excellent as this one," said Bograkos. "I had played with Charlie (Bell) in AAU when we were younger and against Jason (Richardson) in high school, so I knew that this team was packed with top players. Just to be a part of it and to perhaps get my opportunity is what I wanted."
But starting off as the low man on the totem pole can be trying thing. And the waiting game can be difficult for any player, but for Bograkos it's a lesson learned. He has a work ethic that's as strong as that of the town he left behind. Bograkos is well aware that it might take a few years before he gets his chance to play.
"You learn to be very patient and you have to realize that you are at the bottom of the chain and that it's going to take time to work your way up," explained Bograkos. "But it's something that is going to make me a better player in the long run. I just want to do whatever I can to make this team better and help us to win."
So it's a story of pride, a twisted plot of where he could have been and where he ended up. But what would the story be without the supporting cast. For Tim, the coaching staff and his teammates have played an intricate role, lending their support and help with whatever he needed.
"The entire coaching staff is so willing to help with whatever, whether it's your game or something off the court. The whole group is so supportive and you can tell that they have a genuine love for us and the game and teaching us how to better ourselves," Bograkos commented. "All of the guys have been so supportive too. I came down and was playing with them in the summer, and everyone has offered so much help and support in helping make me a better player."
The playgrounds around Flint breed dreams of hitting that last second shot or winning that national title. It's a dream that sent Bograkos to MSU, searching for that chance to gain glory.
"I hope to get a few rings, you know, the Big Ten Championship, a national title, I wish for nothing but a few pieces of jewelry," said a grinning Bograkos. "Well if I think about it, it I wouldn't mind having some of Jason's (Richardson) hops. "
It's hard to understand what it takes to be a Michigan State basketball player. On game day fans gather by the hoards to support their team, but in the hours before the Breslin Center's doors even open, Tim Bograkos is on the court. Empty seats and a silence is all that greets him. There is no fanfare, no well-wishers, just the notion that he wears the Green and White and that he wears it with pride. Pride not only for what he has accomplished, but also for the town that allowed him to live the dream.
