Michigan State Holds Men's Basketball Media Day

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team held its annual media day on Tuesday afternoon at the Breslin Center, welcoming a large group of media and photographers as the 2019-20 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.

Michigan State welcomes back several key players from last year's Final Four and 2019 Big Ten Championship squad, led by senior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit), who was a Consensus Second All-American selection and the Big Ten Player of the Year last season and was a unanimous selection last week as the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year.

"Well, this is a great, I'd say midway point," Head Coach Tom Izzo said. "It's kind of odd. Usually Midnight Madness, everything's on the same date, but with this uniqueness of when we're starting our season, we're actually at the midway point of the preseason three weeks in."

"I told you three weeks into practice from the first time I talked to you that we'd have some issues. The team has worked extremely hard. I really like the lack of egos. I like the fact that nobody acts like they're better than somebody else. The chemistry is good. When you get a lot of guys back, that's important."

Michigan State finished the 2018-19 season with a 32-7 overall record and advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for a nation's-best eighth time in the last 21 years. The Spartans won a share of the Big Ten Regular Season title, captured the Big Ten Tournament title, beat rival Michigan three times and won the NCAA Tournament East Regional with a thrilling victory over No. 1 seed Duke.

"With the brutal schedule we play early, especially in the first 26 days, I think it will be important to maintain a perspective regardless of wins and losses and what we're really trying to accomplish," Izzo said. "We're trying to accomplish getting better every day. We're trying to accomplish getting better by the end of the season. And that's what we're going to keep our eyes on."

Winston, who was also named to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List for the nation's top point guard on Monday, is coming off a junior season in which he led the team with 18.8 points and 7.5 assists per game. Winston set a Big Ten and MSU record with 291 assists last season.

In addition to Winston, the Spartans will welcome back senior guard Joshua Langford (Huntsville, Ala./Madison Academy), who missed most of last season with an injury. Langford appeared in 13 games last season, averaging 15.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

"I had an experience when I went to the Final Four, so it is not like I wasn't there," Langford said. "I was still a part of the team and one thing about it is that my teammates and coaches made me feel a part and I do still feel like I played a part, just with encouraging guys.

"I am ready to go back there, and I believe that we have a great enough team and we have all the pieces, but we still have to do things one day at a time."

MSU also returns a pair of players – junior forward Xavier Tillman (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Christian) and sophomore forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) – who were key contributors down the stretch last season. Tillman, who was named the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year and selected to the NCAA East Region All-Tournament Team, averaged 10.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season. Henry, meanwhile, started the final 16 games of the season, and averaged 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds.

"We embrace it (preseason expectations), obviously we try to lock in on us and lock in on what's happening on the court with our guys," Tillman said. "We embrace it. If people say we're No. 1 or some say we're No. 5, we'll take it either way. We'll play like we're targeting somebody else and not like we have a bullseye on our back, which we probably do."

The Spartans open the 2019-20 season on Tuesday, Oct. 29, hosting Albion College in an exhibition game at the Breslin Center. The matchup features Winston facing the team that includes his two brothers, sophomore guard Zach Winston and freshman guard Khy Winston.

The regular season starts on Tuesday, Nov. 5, with the Spartans playing Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic on ESPN. The game will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Players Mentioned

Aaron Henry

Joshua Langford

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Cassius Winston