Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Holds Men’s Basketball Media Day
10/25/2018 6:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team held its annual media day on Thursday afternoon at the Breslin Center, welcoming a large group of media and photographers as the 2018-19 season draws closer.
After a welcome luncheon, MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo held a press conference, which was followed by interviews and photos with the players.
The Spartans, ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Preseason poll, welcome back three starters, but will have to adjust after a pair of players – Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. – were selected in the NBA Draft. Leading the way will be preseason All-Big Ten selections, junior forward Nick Ward (Columbus, Ohio/Gahanna) and junior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit).
"This different group maybe isn't quite as star-powered, but, again, the experience is there," Izzo said. "So the two things I'm looking for is, 'Have guys gotten better?' is one. And number two, 'Where are we going to get our leadership from?'" Our expectations haven't changed any from previous years."
MSU finished the 2017-18 season with a 30-5 overall record and won the Big Ten Regular Season Championship, posting a 16-2 record in league play. The Spartans were selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 21st-straight year, but lost in the second round to Syracuse, 55-53.
"Last year, it's hard to look at a 30-win season and say we fell a little short, but we did -- of your expectations, meaning the fans, and probably my expectations," Izzo said. "But coming off one of the best regular seasons in the history of this school and winning 30 games, I think there's a lot of things we could build from there."
Ward, who was selected to the watch list for the Kareem Adbul-Jabbar Award, finished last year third on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game and led the team with 7.1 rebounds per game.
"I feel great, I feel very confident," Ward said. "We have a great team this year with lots of depth and lots of leadership too. Me, Cassius (Winston), Josh (Langford), (Matt) McQuaid, Kyle (Ahrens)... we've been through the worst. I'm very confident entering the season."
Winston, who was also named to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List for the nation's top point guard, is coming off a sophomore season in which he finished second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points and led the Big Ten, and ranked No. 9 nationally, with 6.9 assists per game. He also connected on 56.1 percent of his 3-point field goals in conference play.
"I feel like I have to help these guys as much as I can so they can avoid maybe some of the mistakes I made," Winston said. "I feel like I've been through a lot, been through enough where I can help those guys out a lot more. I think I'm ready. I've been through a lot with wars, I've got a lot of experience, I've been through a lot of things with this team. We've been through a lot of battles, but I can lead these guys and be vocal."
At the start of practice last month, Izzo announced that junior guard Joshua Langford (Huntsville, Ala./Madison Academy) and senior guard Matt McQuaid (Duncanville, Texas/Duncanville) had been named co-captains.
"I'm more than ready," Langford said. "I just believe that it's all about timing. Some people have different timing and I feel like it's my time to come in and do what I know I can do. I just need to be the player and leader God and my teammates know I can be, and I'm ready to do that."
McQuaid, Langford's co-captain, is the most-experienced player on the team with more than 100 games played. He finished sixth on the team in scoring last year with 6.0 points per game and hit 39.1 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts.
"I've told the younger guys, it's a long season and you have to be smart with your body and you have to be watching film all the time and preparing for teams because there's different schemes and different defenses and offenses that you've got to prepare for," McQuaid said. "I'm just trying to show them that there's more than just going out and playing and you have to prepare yourself and your body to go out for every night.
"Coach always stresses doing your job and if everybody does their job day in and every night, I feel like we'll have a really good chance to win every game we're in," McQuaid said. "Just everybody doing their job and really committing to the team and playing with passion and energy - what Spartan Basketball is all about."
The Spartans play an exhibition game against Northern Michigan on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Breslin Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. MSU plays No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. on Tuesday, Nov. 6 to open the regular season.
After a welcome luncheon, MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo held a press conference, which was followed by interviews and photos with the players.
The Spartans, ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Preseason poll, welcome back three starters, but will have to adjust after a pair of players – Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. – were selected in the NBA Draft. Leading the way will be preseason All-Big Ten selections, junior forward Nick Ward (Columbus, Ohio/Gahanna) and junior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit).
"This different group maybe isn't quite as star-powered, but, again, the experience is there," Izzo said. "So the two things I'm looking for is, 'Have guys gotten better?' is one. And number two, 'Where are we going to get our leadership from?'" Our expectations haven't changed any from previous years."
MSU finished the 2017-18 season with a 30-5 overall record and won the Big Ten Regular Season Championship, posting a 16-2 record in league play. The Spartans were selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 21st-straight year, but lost in the second round to Syracuse, 55-53.
"Last year, it's hard to look at a 30-win season and say we fell a little short, but we did -- of your expectations, meaning the fans, and probably my expectations," Izzo said. "But coming off one of the best regular seasons in the history of this school and winning 30 games, I think there's a lot of things we could build from there."
Ward, who was selected to the watch list for the Kareem Adbul-Jabbar Award, finished last year third on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game and led the team with 7.1 rebounds per game.
"I feel great, I feel very confident," Ward said. "We have a great team this year with lots of depth and lots of leadership too. Me, Cassius (Winston), Josh (Langford), (Matt) McQuaid, Kyle (Ahrens)... we've been through the worst. I'm very confident entering the season."
Winston, who was also named to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List for the nation's top point guard, is coming off a sophomore season in which he finished second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points and led the Big Ten, and ranked No. 9 nationally, with 6.9 assists per game. He also connected on 56.1 percent of his 3-point field goals in conference play.
"I feel like I have to help these guys as much as I can so they can avoid maybe some of the mistakes I made," Winston said. "I feel like I've been through a lot, been through enough where I can help those guys out a lot more. I think I'm ready. I've been through a lot with wars, I've got a lot of experience, I've been through a lot of things with this team. We've been through a lot of battles, but I can lead these guys and be vocal."
At the start of practice last month, Izzo announced that junior guard Joshua Langford (Huntsville, Ala./Madison Academy) and senior guard Matt McQuaid (Duncanville, Texas/Duncanville) had been named co-captains.
"I'm more than ready," Langford said. "I just believe that it's all about timing. Some people have different timing and I feel like it's my time to come in and do what I know I can do. I just need to be the player and leader God and my teammates know I can be, and I'm ready to do that."
McQuaid, Langford's co-captain, is the most-experienced player on the team with more than 100 games played. He finished sixth on the team in scoring last year with 6.0 points per game and hit 39.1 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts.
"I've told the younger guys, it's a long season and you have to be smart with your body and you have to be watching film all the time and preparing for teams because there's different schemes and different defenses and offenses that you've got to prepare for," McQuaid said. "I'm just trying to show them that there's more than just going out and playing and you have to prepare yourself and your body to go out for every night.
"Coach always stresses doing your job and if everybody does their job day in and every night, I feel like we'll have a really good chance to win every game we're in," McQuaid said. "Just everybody doing their job and really committing to the team and playing with passion and energy - what Spartan Basketball is all about."
The Spartans play an exhibition game against Northern Michigan on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Breslin Center. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. MSU plays No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic in Indianapolis, Ind. on Tuesday, Nov. 6 to open the regular season.
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