Italy Trip Recap
9/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
As great as playing basketball in Italy was for Michigan State, the cultural and educational experiences were just as meaningful.
The Spartans spent every waking moment off the court exploring five cities in 11 days. They visited the Coliseum in Rome and squared off in a verbal exchange over religion after visiting the Vatican. They test drove world-renowned race cars, albeit in simulators, at a remote Ferrari plant. They traversed the canals of Venice and Coach Tom Izzo registered 22,000 steps one day on his Fitbit.
"I think the last city we visited, Venice, definitely stands out," said senior combo guard Denzel Valentine. "To have a city on water, I think that's pretty amazing. To get to the place we were staying at, we had to take water taxis. We only got to spend two days there, but it was a pretty cool city."
Izzo bristled at the 2 ½-hour meals but reveled in the way the players' tour of the Vatican took an hour longer than the travel party's did.
"Even the guide was impressed," Izzo said.
"Yeah, actually because we got some people here who are really into religion," Valentine said. "We were asking a lot of questions and we were even having some debates about things. We learned a lot, especially me being at that place."
The trip was as big a memory-maker as Izzo as has had, which is saying a lot considering how he has coached MSU in games: on an aircraft carrier in San Diego, on a U.S. military base in Germany and at Detroit's Ford Field with the floor centered on the football field as a prototype for future Final Fours.
"I've done a lot of neat things but that really was good and our players were great," he said. "They learned to deal with distractions. We only practiced once, twice, the whole time we were there, with film sessions, just like I said I would do.
"So most days they had stuff to do and then we played a game. I think we'll get a lot out of it educationally, I think we'll a lot out of it basketball-wise and we'll get a lot out of it just with the growth of our team maturity-wise. I don't think I have one negative thing to say."
Oh right, the Spartans did hoop a little.
After opening the tour with a 98-54 victory over Basket Fiorentina, a new professional team in Florence, they lost to the Russian Senior National Team, 93-75, the Italian nationals, 90-69, and the national team of Georgia, 71-70.
However, the results were secondary to the experience gained from playing against teams laden with veteran international and pro players and the camaraderie developed outside of the gym. The Spartans are in the process of learning to compensate for the departure of Branden Dawson and Travis Trice, who were instrumental in last season's run to the Final Four and team mainstays over previous four seasons.
Izzo allowed West Virginia transfer Eron Harris, who is expected to be a key component of the playing group, and junior guard Alvin Ellis III to make the trip but held them out of games for disciplinary reasons.
This was the Spartans' first opportunity to work with heralded incoming freshmen Deyonta Davis, Matt McQuaid and Kyle Ahrens in the competitive environment similar to what they'll see during the season. It was also a chance to get reacquainted with sophomore wing Javon Bess, who is finally fully recovered from a foot injury that cost him most of his first season.
"We've got a lot of different guys this year, different personalities, but I think this trip definitely helped us jell," Valentine said. "We all roomed with somebody we didn't get a chance to have a relationship before, so I think this trip was very good for building these relationships."
Fans who have been clamoring for Izzo to occasionally switch out of his beloved man-to-man defense and into a zone defense may even be heartened by a development that took place overseas.
"We did play a little bit and pressed a little bit," Izzo said. "I told you that was un-American, so I could do it. It will be in the arsenal this year, and pressing will be too because of the number of players (we have)."
And, the level of competition was better, in many ways, than the Spartans will face during non-conference and Big Ten play.
"The Italian team had NBA pros and the Russians had pros over there making a lot of money, so we definitely gained confidence playing those guys and competing with the world's best," Valentine said. "We're definitely going take that and run with it this year, those freshmen especially, coming right out of high school and playing that competition is big time.
"We've got a lot of weapons, a lot of guys who can do a lot of different things. But we're still trying to find our identity a little bit. I think that's why we were able to cut (Italy's) lead to five points in the fourth quarter but just couldn't get it there because we don't have the chemistry quite there yet. But, we've only been practicing together for a little while. Come November, come December, I think we're going to be a really dangerous team."
Valentine played the wing positions as usual, but excelled at the point and MSU's fast break was impressive, said Izzo, who also tried a variety of lineups and combinations.
"I played some big lineups, I played some small lineups," Izzo said. "I'm going to get a lot of good ideas, but playing 12 guys was hard, too. But, I think it's going to help us in the long run."
Big men Matt Costello and Gavin Schilling more than held their own against the experienced European frontcourts and even started one game together.
"Those national teams were men, and they were good," Izzo said. "I think we played as good competition as I've ever seen. These teams just practice and are getting ready. Their big tournament is this weekend qualifier for the Olympics."
After losing to Duke, 81-61, in a national semifinal on April 4, Izzo was uncharacteristically eager to talk about the team he had coming back for the 2015-16 season. His outlook brightened even more after Italy.
"I feel better about our team because I think our chemistry was really good, guys pulled for each other and got along," Izzo said. "With that many guys playing, it was hard, but it was fun watching Colby (Wollenman, senior forward) coaching D.D. (Davis) and really helping him. Zel did a great job with that.
"I think our two guys (Harris and Ellis) who sat out, I think the smartest thing I did was take them because I think they felt bad they weren't playing and yet learned a lot and were great on the bench. I feel good about where we are, we just need to keep improving at the point, at the 4-spot and then we've got to figure out a rotation at the other spots."
