Michigan State Welcomes Mike Garland Back To The Breslin Center
12/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 15, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
#12/12 Michigan State (7-2)vs. Cleveland State (2-4)
Dec. 16, 20057 p.m. ESTEast Lansing, Mich.Breslin Center (14,759)
Radio: Spartan Sports Network - Will Tieman (Play by Play), Gus Ganakas (Color). Flagship - WMMQ 94.9 FM/WJIM 1240 AM
TV: ESPNU - Jim Barbar (Play by Play), Greg Kelser (Color)
Michigan State Game Notes
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The Starting Five
Garland Returns To MSU - Prior to becoming Cleveland State's head coach, Mike Garland spent seven seasons as Tom Izzo's assistant at Michigan State. (See page 3.) Garland is one of six Izzo assistants currently serving as a division I head coach. Izzo is 1-1 in his coaching career against former assistants, having split a pair of games against Stan Joplin at Toledo.
Money At The Charity Stripe - Michigan State leads the Big Ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .801 (161-of-201). It has been a team effort as only three Spartans are shooting under 80 percent (Maurice Ager - .750; Marquise Gray - .556; Matt Trannon - .400). Among players with more than 15 attempts, Paul Davis leads the way, shooting .867 (52-of-60). Davis has been perfect from the line in five of his last seven games, including performances of 10-of-10, 11-of-11 and 12-of-12. Last season, MSU led the Big Ten and ranked third in the nation in free-throw percentage (.777), while featuring the top four foul shooters in the league.
Neitzel At His Best - Drew Neitzel has played some of the best basketball of his career over the last four games, averaging 13.3 points and 6.5 assists. Against Georgia Tech, he scored a career-best 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range, while recording seven assists. Against Arkansas-Little Rock, he dished out a career-best nine assists against just one turnover. He recorded 13 points, five assists and no turnovers against No. 6 Boston College. Most recently, he tallied 14 points, all in the second half, and five assists against Wichita State. He has a 5.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last four games.
It Could Be A Spartan First - Maurice Ager (21.7) and Paul Davis (20.6) are currently both averaging more than 20 points per game. In the 106 previous seasons of Spartan basketball, two players have never averaged 20 points in the same season.
Ager's Improved Decision Making - One of the biggest improvements in Maurice Ager's game is his decision making. Recently, it can be seen in his assist-to-turnover ratio. After opening the season with eight assists and 15 turnovers in the first five games, he has totaled 21 assists and 11 turnovers in the last four contests. In fact, he recorded a career-best six assists to go along with his 22 points against Boston College. He has recorded five assists or more in each of the last four games, after having never tallied more than four in the first 95 games of his career.
Cleveland State Notes
Coach Garland - Mike Garland (Northern Michigan, '77) is 15-46 in his third season at Cleveland State. Prior to becoming a head coach, Garland served for seven years (1996-2003) as an assistant under Tom Izzo. He was part of four Big Ten championship teams, three Final Fours and the 2000 NCAA Championship. Garland was a three-year letterman at Northern Michigan, teaming up with Izzo for the Wildcats.
Viking Notes - In Cleveland State's two victories, the Vikings are allowing their opponents to shoot just 31.3 percent from the field; in the four defeats, opponents are shooting 47.2 percent ... Ten Vikings are averaging more than 10 minutes per game, but no one is averaging more than 28.2 ... Junior Raheem Moss is shooting 56.5 percent from 3-point range (13-of-23) ... Cleveland State is averaging 10.3 steals per game.
Series History - Michigan State leads the all-time series with Cleveland State, 7-0, including a 4-0 advantage in games played in East Lansing. Most recently, MSU defeated CSU, 79-47, on Dec. 8, 2002, behind 16 points from Erazem Lorbek. Tom Izzo is 3-0 in his career against Cleveland State.
Game 9 Notes - Michigan State 83 - Wichita State 64
* Trailing 11-6 at 16:24, Michigan State went on a 13-0 run to take a 19-11 advantage at 11:42. It was part of a 23-2 run to take a 29-13 lead with 7:26 left.
* After playing just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Drew Neitzel scored all 14 of his points in the second half.
* Shannon Brown recorded a career-high six steals.
* Michigan State out-rebounded Wichita State, 33-24. The Shockers had entered the game with a +10.9 rebounding margin.
* Michigan State improved to 6-2 all-time at the Palace of Auburn Hills and 2-1 in the Spartan Clash.
* Michigan State shot a season-high percentage from the field (.593) and from 3-point range (.538), but a season low from the free-throw line (.667).
* Wichita State's 64 points were a season low for a Spartan opponent.
The Book On Tom Izzo
In his 11th year, Tom Izzo (Northern Michigan, '77) is 240-99 (.708), 117-47 (.713) in the Big Ten, as the coach of the Michigan State basketball program. With last year's win over Duke in the NCAA Tournament, he passed Benjamin Van Alstyne to become the second-winningest coach in MSU history, trailing only Jud Heathcote (340) in total wins. In his 10 seasons of coaching, Izzo has won National Coach of the Year honors four times, including the Clair Bee Award in 2005 and 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 Among Best Ever - Through his first 10 seasons, Tom Izzo has won 233 games, ranking seventh in college basketball history for most wins by a college coach in his first 10 years.
Graduating Student-Athletes - In Tom Izzo's 10 full years directing the Spartan program, 77 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In the last six years, 17 Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
Izzo's Coaching Tree - Six current Division I head coaches all served as assistants to Tom Izzo, including Tom Crean (Marquette), Brian Gregory (Dayton), Mike Garland (Cleveland State), Stan Heath (Arkansas), Stan Joplin (Toledo) and Doug Wojcik (Tulsa). Gregory and Garland are in their third year as head coach, after leaving MSU in the spring of 2003. Crean directed Marquette to the 2003 Final Four, while Heath directed Kent State to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Wojcik is in his first season at Tulsa.
Safe At Home - Tom Izzo owns a career record of 136-19 (.877) in the Breslin Center, including a 101-7 (.935) mark over the last eight seasons. In Big Ten play, Izzo is 71-11 (.866) in Breslin, 52-4 (.929) over the last seven years.
Vs. Ranked Opponents - Tom Izzo has a career record of 55-49 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. This includes a 48-38 record since 1997-98.
At His Best When It Counts - Tom Izzo ranks second among active coaches for the best NCAA Tournament winning percentage at .767.
MSU Basketball Notes
Davis' Second-Half Spurts - Recently, Paul Davis has been a dominating force in the second half after relatively quiet first halves. The trend started against Georgia Tech. After scoring just three points on 1-of-2 shooting in the first half, Davis scored 19 second-half points, shooting 9-of-10 from the field. Against Arkansas-Little Rock, Davis scored just six first-half points, but scored the first nine of the second half en route to a 23-point effort. Davis scored just four points against Boston College in the first half, but scored 14 in the second half. Against Wichita State, he scored eight points in the first half and 12 in the second. Over the last four games, he is averaging 5.25 points in the first half and 15.5 points in the second half.
Playing A Lot Of Minutes - Through the first nine games, Maurice Ager (34.9 minutes), Shannon Brown (34.2 mpg), Drew Neitzel (32.9 mpg) and Paul Davis (32.3 mpg) are all averaging more than 30 minutes per game. By comparison, Michigan State was the only Big Ten team last season without a single player averaging 30 minutes per game. In fact, Davis led MSU in minutes played at 26.9 per game.
Good To Be Back Home - The Cleveland State contest marks just the third home game in Michigan State's first 10 games. Since the start of the 1998-99 season, MSU has won 101 of its last 108 regular-season games in Breslin, a winning percentage of .935. MSU has sold out 114 consecutive regular-season games at the Breslin Center.
The Big Three - Spartan seniors Maurice Ager and Paul Davis and junior Shannon Brown will carry a lot of the scoring load for Michigan State this season. Through nine games, the trio has not disappointed, averaging a combined 57.7 points, or 70.6 percent, of MSU's 81.7 points per game.
1,000-Point Spartans - With a free throw at the 16:26 mark against IPFW, Maurice Ager became the 35th player in Michigan State history to score 1,000 career points. With 1,093 points, he joins Paul Davis (1,325 points) as current Spartans over 1,000. Davis ranks 17th in career scoring, while Ager ranks 31st. Ager needs seven points to pass Bill Kilgore (1,099 points) and 17 to pass Al Ferrari (1,109 points), while Davis needs 53 points to pass Julius McCoy (1,377 points). Three members of last year's team, Alan Anderson, Chris Hill and Kelvin Torbert, were all 1,000-point scorers. The next Spartan to reach the milestone should be Shannon Brown, who currently has 737 points.
Mr. Double-Double - With five double-doubles in the first nine games of this season, Paul Davis has now recorded a double-double in 13 of the last 24 games. Davis elevated his level of play over the last two months of last season, recording a double-double in eight of the final 15 games, including the last four NCAA Tournament contests. His best effort might have come in the Sweet 16 when he out-scored (20 to 19) and out-rebounded (12 to 8) Duke's Shelden Williams. In the Final Four, against North Carolina's Sean May, Davis recorded a career-best 15 rebounds.
It's Early, But ... - While it's impossible to project season statistics off just nine games, a few Spartans are putting up impressive numbers in the early going. Maurice Ager is currently averaging 21.7 points per game. It's the best scoring average by a Spartan since Shawn Respert averaged 25.6 points as a senior in 1994-95. Paul Davis is currently averaging 10.1 rebounds, the best mark by a Spartan since Antonio Smith averaged 10.6 boards in 1996-97.
An Offensive Threat - By his own admission, Drew Neitzel just tried to run the offense last season as a true freshman point guard and get the ball to the other weapons on the team. He recorded an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.1-to-1, but averaged just 3.5 points per game and attempted just 3.4 shots per contest. A prolific scorer in high school, Neitzel will look to score more this season. He is averaging 9.8 points and 6.8 shots per game, while maintaining a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Freshmen Contributions - Nine Spartans are currently averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Of those nine, three are freshmen in Marquise Gray, Goran Suton and Travis Walton. A true freshman, Walton is the primary reserve in the backcourt averaging 19.7 minutes, 1.8 points and 3.1 assists, while playing strong defense. Gray and Suton are redshirt freshmen getting their first taste of college basketball games. Suton is the team's fifth-leading scorer at 4.9 points and the second-leading rebounder at 4.9 boards in 22.6 minutes per contest. Gray is averaging 3.4 points and 3.4 boards per game and started the Boston College contest.
Davis Named POW - Paul Davis was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 28. In four games, the senior center averaged 22.5 points and 12.3 rebounds. MSU posted a 3-1 record on the week, falling only to Gonzaga, 109-106 in triple overtime. Davis recorded double-doubles in three of the four games. Coach Izzo was impressed with his performance, saying "I'm pleased with the way he's playing on all ends of the court and really excited about the leadership I think he's showing. He's made some giant strides."
Big Ten Favorites - Michigan State was named the Big Ten preseason favorite at the league's media day on Oct. 30. The Spartans are followed by Illinois and Indiana in the poll. Paul Davis also earned a spot on the Preseason All-Big Ten squad.
MSU Is A "Powerhouse Program" - ESPN named Michigan State one of the 10 "Powerhouse Programs" in college basketball. Of the 10 schools featured, only seven were division I men's programs. MSU was joined by Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, UCLA, division II Kentucky Wesleyan, and the Tennessee and Connecticut women's programs. The television program featuring the list was part of ESPNU's Honor Roll series.
Winning The Right Way - In addition to excelling on the court, the Spartans are standouts in the classroom. Seventeen Spartans have received their undergraduate degrees over the last six years, including five each in 2001 and 2003.
A High Octane Offense - Michigan State led the Big Ten and ranked 13th nationally in scoring offense, averaging 78.5 points per game. It was MSU's highest scoring-offense since the 1985-86 Spartans averaged 83.1 points. The Spartans return three of their top four scorers and a starting point guard to help key the attack. This year, MSU is averaging 81.7 points per contest.
MSU Is No. 1 - The Sporting News has tabbed Michigan State as its preseason No. 1 team, listing the Spartans' strengths as "two elite playmaking wings; size and skill at center; toughness." The publication also lists Maurice Ager as the No. 2 shooting guard in the nation and a second-team All-American. Paul Davis is the No. 4 center and Shannon Brown is ranked the No. 9 small forward. As a unit, the Spartan backcourt is ranked second in the nation.
America's Best Backcourt - Lindy's College Basketball preseason magazine ranked Michigan State's backcourt the best in the nation: "The backcourt was solid enough to get the Spartans to the Final Four last season and that should be the case again in 2006. Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager will be the `wings' and either could be defined as a `shooting guard,' if you like to see players locked into position descriptions. They're both explosive enough to jump over the top or drive past any variety of defender. Drew Neitzel was solid the last half of the season as the team's playmaker and should be much improved as a sophomore."
Izzo's Busy Summer - In addition to the always-busy summer recruiting season, Coach Tom Izzo enjoyed a few unique opportunities. In July, he had the opportunity to play golf with Tiger Woods at the Buick Open Pro-Am, prompting Woods to say "he's a guy that if I was playing ball, he's the type of guy that I'd want to go play for.' In mid-August, Izzo was one of a select number of coaches at Michael Jordan's Senior Flight School. The summer closed with Izzo traveling to Kuwait to take part in "Operation Hardwood - Hoops With The Troops." Izzo was one of eight coaches and sports personalities coaching 13-member military basketball teams on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, from Aug. 27-31. Camp Arifjan defeated the other bases to win the championship under the direction of Coach Izzo.
Home To Mr. Basketball - Five of the last seven recipients of Michigan's Hal Schram Mr. Basketball Award, presented to the top high school player in the state, have 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, Paul Davis (Rochester HS) in 2002 and Drew Neitzel (Wyoming Park HS) in 2004. While the 2003 winner did not attend MSU, Shannon Brown (Proviso East HS) captured Illinois' Mr. Basketball Award that same year.
Spartans In The NBA - Listed below is an update on seven former Spartans currently on NBA rosters: (Stats through Dec. 3)
Alan Anderson (Charlotte): 3 GP, 9.0 mpg, 3.0 ppg, 0.7 rpg, 1.3 apg Charlie Bell (Milwaukee): 14 GP, 11.5 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.7 apg Mateen Cleaves (Seattle): 11 GP, 13.0 mpg, 5.3 ppg, 0.4 rpg, 2.4 apg Morris Peterson (Toronto): 18 GP, 13 GS, 31.4 mpg, 13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 apg Zach Randolph (Portland): 15 GP, 15 GS, 37.8 mpg, 18.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.9 apg Jason Richardson (Golden State): 18 GP, 18 GS, 38.6 mpg, 22.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg Eric Snow (Cleveland): 16 GP, 16 GS, 26.4 mpg, 3.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.9 apg
