Men's Basketball Hosts Cleveland State On Sunday Afternoon
12/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
2002-03 Michigan State Basketball#21/21 Michigan State (3-2)vs. Cleveland State (4-3)December 8, 20021:00 P.M. ESTBreslin Center (14,759)East Lansing, Mich.
Media Coverage
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WJIM (1240 AM/97.5 FM)
TV: Fox Sports Ohio - Les Levine (Play by Play), Franklin Edwards (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Opening Tip
Anagonye's Emergence - As one of Michigan State's two seniors, Aloysius Anagonye is counted on for solid contributions in the post. For the most part, he has been up to the challenge, especially in recent games. In the final game in Alaska vs. Oklahoma State, Anagonye scored a career-best 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. He followed that performance up with a solid 10-point, nine-rebound effort vs. Virginia. More importantly, Anagonye is staying out of foul trouble. With the exception of the Villanova contest, where he fouled out in just 10 minutes, Anagonye has not picked up more than three fouls in any contest. Against Virginia, his physical play picked up two fouls in the first four minutes on preseason All-ACC honoree Travis Watson.
An Incredible Run - At the 9:57 mark of the first half of the Virginia game, UVA's Jason Clark made a layup to give the Cavaliers a 19-16 lead. When Virginia scored again at the 3:51 mark, MSU held a 33-21 advantage. During the 17-0 run, Virginia committed six turnovers and missed six shots. Meanwhile, the Spartans committed just two turnovers, while getting eight points from Chris Hill, four from Erazem Lorbek, three from Alan Anderson and two from Aloysius Anagonye. After the run, Virginia trailed by double-digits for most of the contest until the last few minutes of the game.
Probable Starting LineupsMichigan State Spartans (3-2) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #25 Aloysius Anagonye (Sr., 6-8, 260)9.2 6.2 0.4F - #15 Alan Anderson (So., 6-6, 220) 8.4 3.8 3.2F - #55 Adam Ballinger (Sr., 6-9, 250) 10.0 4.8 1.2G - #5 Chris Hill (So., 6-3, 190) 18.4 2.4 4.0G - #23 Kelvin Torbert (So., 6-4, 215) 7.6 2.4 1.8
Cleveland State Vikings (4-3) Ppg. Rpg. Apg.F - #31 Andre Williams (Sr., 6-5, 215) 7.3 6.4 2.6F - #15 Tahric Gosley (Sr., 6-8, 220) 12.1 6.4 1.1C - #42 Pape Badiane (Jr., 6-11, 210) 7.3 6.4 0.6G - #1 Jermaine Robinson (Jr., 6-2, 175)13.0 3.6 3.9G - #2 Walt Chavis (So., 5-11, 175) 3.9 2.1 5.6
Coach Izzo - In his eighth year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 170-67 (.717), 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.
Cleveland State Notes
Coach Massimino - Rollie Massimino (Vermont, '56) is in seventh season as head coach at Cleveland State with a record of 80-88. Head coach of the 1985 Villanova NCAA Championship team, Massimino is 511-372 in his 30th season overall as a head coach.
Vikings Solid In Early Season - Although Cleveland State has already played seven games, just two of them have been a home contest. Still, the Vikings own a respectable 4-3 record. One of the losses was an overtime loss to California in Cleveland. Included in their victories are road wins at Duquesne and at Akron.
Spartans Vs. Vikings - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Cleveland State, 6-0. The last meeting between the Spartans and Vikings was an 85-54 MSU victory in Cleveland on Dec. 6, 1997. One year earlier, in the last meeting between the teams at the Breslin Center, MSU edged CSU, 83-78, in Coach Izzo's second season as head coach.
Game 5 Notes - Michigan State 82 - Virginia 75
* Michigan State scored its final 15 points from the foul line, connecting on 15-of-18 free throw attempts in the last 3:07.
* Michigan State forced a season-high 19 turnovers, leading to a season-best 26 points off turnovers.
* MSU grabbed a double-digit lead at the 5:20 mark of the first half and held it for all but 1:20 of the second half, with Virginia never getting closer than seven points.
* The Spartans recorded a season-high 11 steals.
* Chris Hill scored 14 of his team-best 22 points in the second half, connecting on all four of his field goal attempts, including two three-pointers.
MSU Basketball Notes
Fast Starts, Slow Finishes - Through five games, the Spartans are beginning to develop a trend on how they play each half of basketball. As a general rule, MSU starts each half with a flury, but struggles in the closing moments. Consider that MSU is outscoring opponents, 33-14, in the first three minutes of the first half and, 32-24, in the first three minutes of the second half. By comparison, the Spartans are being outscored, 24-22, in the final three minutes of the first half and, 47-32, over the final three minutes of the game.
Turnovers Prove Costly - Offensively, Michigan State is shooting the ball fairly well, with a field-goal percentage of .488. The problem, however, is turnovers. Through five games, Michigan State is averaging 16.6 turnovers per contest. Conversely, MSU is forcing just 14.4 turnovers, giving the Spartans a turnover margin of -2.2, which means fewer scoring opportunities, which could be the difference in MSU's two close defeats.
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.
In The Polls - Michigan State is ranked 21st in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released on Dec. 2. Six Spartan opponents are ranked, including No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 11 Indiana, No. 17 Minnesota, No. 18 Kentucky, No. 20 Illinois and No. 23 Virginia. In The Associated Press Top 25 released on Dec. 2, MSU is ranked 21st.
It's All About Boardwork - Despite several new faces in the Spartan lineup, MSU continues to be a rebounding machine. Through five games, the Spartans have a +7.0 rebounding margin, having outrebounded all five opponents. This includes outrebounding Villanova, 31-27, and Oklahoma State, 32-31, who entered their games with MSU with rebounding margins of +16.0 and +17.0, respectively.
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.
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. Ten players are currently averaging eight or more minutes per contest.
The Soft Touch - Seniors Aloysius Anagonye and Adam Ballinger are among the top field-goal shooters in Michigan State history. Anagonye is shooting .553 for his career (198-358), which ranks eighth in MSU history. Ballinger is shooting .550 (187-340), which would rank ninth except for the fact that he does not have the 350 field-goal attempts necessary to qualify for the career list.
Block Party - Junior Aloysius Anagonye ranks fifth on the MSU career blocked shots list with 70 rejections. With one block, he will tie Kevin Willis at 71 for fourth place. Anagonye's teammate, Adam Ballinger, is 10th on the career blocks chart with 56.
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. Bilas' interview with Coach Izzo will run in different formats throughout the season as part of ESPN's coverage of college basketball.
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.
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 61 of its last 63 regular-season games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .968. Additionally, the Breslin Center has been sold out for 68 consecutive regular-season games. MSU has also won 32 consecutive non-conference home 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.
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 will have 25 regular-season games televised (not including postseason). Of those 25, 16 could be broadcast by national networks, including eight on ESPN, three 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.
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."
Tough Opponents - Michigan State's 2002-03 schedule features 14 teams that appeared in postseason play in 2002. NCAA Tournament teams include Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin. Iowa, Minnesota, South Florida, Syracuse, Villanova 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 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 Dec. 2.)
Mateen Cleaves (Sacramento): 0 GP, currently on injured list Jamie Feick (New Jersey): 0 GP, currently on injured list Morris Peterson (Toronto): 16 GP, 36.7 mpg, 14.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.1 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 14 GP, 12.9 mpg, 6.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 17 GP, 36.5 mpg, 16.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.7 apg Steve Smith (San Antonio): 10 GP, 25.5 mpg, 11.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg Eric Snow (Philadelphia): 18 GP, 39.4 mpg, 10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 7.8 apg Kevin Willis (San Antonio): 15 GP, 9.9 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 2.9 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.
