Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Profile: Denzel Valentine
3/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Steve Grinczel, MSUSpartans.com Online Columnist
There's a simple explanation for why Denzel Valentine is the most multi-dimensional player in Michigan State basketball history.
"It just comes with winning, really," the 6-foot-5 senior guard, and a leading contender for national player of the year honors, said after a recent practice. "I just always wanted to play the right way and do whatever I can on the court to win."
So if that means Valentine has to score, he'll lead the Spartans in scoring. If they need him to rebound, he'll out-rebound everybody, including players five or six inches taller, on the floor. When the situation calls for him to pass the ball, he'll assist his teammates as if it's his only responsibility. Meanwhile, over the course of his four Spartan seasons, Valentine has turned himself into a lockdown defender.
"He's a composite," said former MSU head coach Gus Ganakas. "To me, it's like he was born to be a basketball player."
In every sense, and then some.
When it comes to leadership -- establishing a vision, relating to people, inspiring confidence, meeting challenges and setting an example with quality results -- Valentine is 5-for-5.
Has anyone specialized in versatility better than he has?
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, he led the Big Ten in scoring with 19.7 points per game, assists (7.3), 3-point field goals (3.4) and defensive rebounds (6.8). He was third in free-throw percentage (.855), sixth in 3-point accuracy (.446) and seventh in overall rebounding (7.7 per game).
Valentine's value to the program is unmistakable. The Spartans went 4-4 in the four games Valentine missed after undergoing minor arthroscopic knee surgery and the four he used to get back into game shape. With a healthy Valentine, MSU is on the short list of favorites to win the national championship.
"He's a special player," said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. "He can do so many different things. You have a player that makes everybody around him better, he's a team-first guy who plays on both ends of the floor and has proven to be a really good leader.
"Basketball is joyful for him, and when you watch him play you get that sense of joy and he's a joy to watch."
Valentine might be considered a once-in-a-generation Spartan player if he weren't so reminiscent of the versatile Draymond Green, who played for MSU from 2008-12; Steve Smith, MSU's greatest rebounding guard (1987-91), Mateen Cleaves, the Spartans' all-time leading assist-man and dynamic leader (1996-2000); and Scott Skiles, an incomparable scorer, playmaker and floor general (1982-86).
"He's unusual," Bilas said. "You don't see players with that varied skill-set very often, so it's real nice to have a player that can do everything, and he can literally do everything out there. Denzel does what the situation requires, and not every player is capable of doing that. They may have certain strengths and have to hide their weaknesses, but he really doesn't have any weaknesses.
"As a college player, he's right there for national player of the year so you're talking about a very select few in a given year and a very select few over the course of years who are in that category."
Detroit Pistons broadcast analyst Gregory Kelser, MSU's only player to score 1,000 points and pull down 2,000 rebounds, is impressed with the way Valentine has continued the Spartan tradition of lightly regarded prospects rising to the top, a la Skiles, Smith, Morris Peterson and Green. Valentine was barely a Top-100 player coming out of Lansing Sexton High School.
"His leadership has definitely stepped up in a big, big way, but I think his abilities out on the floor are really something to marvel at because he's probably exceeded most people's expectations," Kelser said. "We all knew he was a good all-around player because he demonstrated that from day one. He's just doing it at a much higher level now.
"He's under control, he's not as inconsistent as he was as a younger player, and he's a big difference-maker. He's worked himself into a dominant player."
It's only happening, however, because Valentine has taken advantage of the opportunity to improve his game every year.
"He's a testament to what staying in college can provide for you," Kelser said. "I see these youngsters coming into the NBA, after one or two years in college, all the time and it's a gamble. When teams draft them they're gambling on their future potential and a lot of times it doesn't work out.
"In the pros you don't get a chance to practice all that much and the opportunity to improve during the season is almost nil, so what Denzel has done is serve notice for a lot of youngsters that it's better to take your time, be patient, enjoy this part of your life as a college student-athlete, grow and develop to give yourself the best possible opportunity."
A perfect game, Valentine said, is when the Spartans win and he gets a triple-double, and he's one of only four players in program history to accomplish the feat. Earlier this season, he had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the victory against Boston College and 29-12-12 while in the process of beating Kansas.
Those are resounding accomplishments as far as Kelser is concerned.
"The triple-doubles he put up are not what we used to call, baby triple-doubles," Kelser said. "He didn't just get by with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. His are massive triple-doubles at the college level in a 40-minute game. C'mon -- that's extremely impressive.
"He's one of the best players in the country, without a doubt, and should definitely get considerable notice for player of the year especially when you look at how Michigan State struggled when he wasn't in the lineup."
Michigan State assistant coach Dane Fife looks at what Valentine is doing for the Spartans from the perspective of someone, who as a 6-4 guard, played a similar multi-faceted role while leading Indiana to the national championship game in 2002. As a senior captain, Fife was named co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the year after recording 53 steals, giving him a school career record of 180. He was a deadly outside shooter with 99 career 3-pointers and his 47.8-percent accuracy from behind the arc in 2001-02 ranks sixth on the Hoosiers' single-season list.
"We're seeing something pretty special with Denzel," Fife said. "What I respect most about him is he earns it every day. He's one of the hardest workers that I've ever seen and he's constantly wanting to learn, whether by watching film or simply picking a coach's brain.
"He certainly has natural ability, but ultimately this is the way it was supposed to be. He was supposed to be a four-year guy at Michigan State who has improved every year and he's realizing everything he's worked so hard for. Denzel is driven to leave a great legacy at Michigan State."
Valentine is an amalgam of effort, talent and a sixth sense.
"He has a unique understanding of the game and he's so gifted in so many areas," Fife said. "Take rebounding as an example. Dennis Rodman always said what made him a great rebounder was he knew where the ball was going before it hit the rim, and I think Zel has that ability. And that's just rebounding.
"He's a great shooter, and I mean great. He's a very good ball-handler and a very good passer. He impacts the game in so many ways. To do as many things at 6-5 that he can do is mesmerizing. We have only so many games left with Denzel, and as coaches and fans we better enjoy the ride."
Senior forward Matt Costello formed an almost immediate bond with Valentine when the two were freshmen in 2012-13. Costello could end this season averaging double figures in points and rebounds, a jump from seven points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a junior. He attributes much of his steady growth over his career to being in the midst of Valentine's greatness.
"Definitely," Costello said. "He's been the one who is kind of constantly in the back of my head talking to me and coaching me to be better."
Valentine has the uncanny ability to be awesome and down to earth at the same time.
"I would say I agree with that," Costello said. "He's just another one of the guys and has always been just himself and I appreciate that. It's been fun to see his growth from when he first came here to where he is now. I'm really impressed with how he's conducted himself and made himself into a better player. I'm just happy to be along for the ride."
After Michigan State defeated Wisconsin at the Breslin Center, 69-57, to avenge the one-point loss it suffered in Madison with Valentine at less than full speed, Badger interim head coach Greg Gard likened him to "a utility knife; you can use him in a lot of different places. It all shows how much of a complete player he is."
Complete? Of course, but not finished by any means, according to Spartan head coach Tom Izzo.
"We've got an unselfish guy running it with Zel. Ten assists with 24 points and seven rebounds, and good defense," said Izzo, recounting Valentine's stat line against Wisconsin. "But I'd say I always want more from that kid because I think he's got even more to give."
