Sports: Inspired MSU Cagers Win Big Ten Crown

A masterful coaching job by Tom Izzo vaults the underrated MSU cagers to a Big Ten title, a No. 10 ranking, his first NCAA invite and 'Coach of the Year' honors. Admit it, you thought 'Hoops on Fire' was a merely good marketing slogan. With just about every 'expert' picking MSU to finish between 7th and 10th in the Big Ten, few people thought the 1997-98 cagers would catch fire, much less torch the league. But Tom Izzo, his staff, and the closely-knit players had a better inkling of this squad's topside potential. Game by game, the youthful and undersized team transformed into a championship team. And, to continue the metaphor, it was a luminant ride, brightened further by Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for Izzo and Player of the Year honors for sophomore point guard Mateen Cleaves.

After a so-so preseason, the Spartans jumped off to a 10-1 record in the Big Ten, the best conference start in history. Even Magic Johnson could not attain this milestone in the 1979 NCAA Championship season. Led by Izzo's coaching and the leadership of co-captains Cleaves and Antonio Smith, the 1997-98 MSU basketball team fought, scraped, hustled and clawed their way into the Big Ten lead at mid-season. From nowhere, MSU crashed the Top 20--moving to 10th in the AP writers poll, 12th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. The Izzone, a student section sponsored by the MSU Alumni Association's Student Alumni Foundation, rocked louder with every 'W.'

MSU's incredible 10-1 record atop the league included solid wins at such traditional ambush-like venues as Purdue and Iowa, both highly ranked in the preseason. It included a home win against a streaking Indiana that had won five straight games. Bobby Knight, the red-sweatered dean of Big Ten coaches, noted, 'From my standpoint and the way I think basketball should be played, this (MSU) is the best (Big Ten) roster I've seen in five years.'

'We're the most blue-collar team in America,' allowed Izzo, who managed to squeeze maximum production out of many players. What MSU lacked in talent, it compensated with hustle and desire--as reflected in its league-leading +9 rebounding differential average (40 on average, vs. opponents' 30.9). The way the Spartans dived after loose ball, it was no wonder injuries befell David Thomas, Morris Peterson, Doug Davis and senior Thomas Kelley, who was lost for the season.

Enroute to a 20-6 (13-3) record, MSU also enjoyed its first win over Michigan under Izzo, a masterful 80-75 performance (with Magic Johnson at hand). That set up a Big Ten championship-clinching win against Wisconsin, 56-47, even though Cleaves and Hutson sat out the first half. The title was shared with Illinois after a season-ending 99-96 loss to No. 10 Purdue.

The pre-season did not foreshadow such success, however, as MSU lost to University of Illinois-Chicago and Detroit Mercy, two Mid-Continent schools. MSU barely lost to defensive powerhouse Temple, and edged a hot-streaking Gonzaga--the adopted team of retired MSU coach Jud Heathcote, who lives in Seattle, WA. Three wins, including one at South Florida, boosted team confidence entering the conference season.

MSU began its Big Ten run with a sound 74-57 win at West Lafayette, beating a Top 10 Purdue team and the consensus preseason favorite to win the Big Ten. Izzo called it 'one of the biggest wins in my era at MSU.' A 79-69 loss at nemesis Michigan, however, dampened expectations. The Spartans then caught fire and won the next eight leagues games. The stretch included a 78-57 destruction of the Hawkeyes, then nationally-ranked--at Iowa.

Twice--during a 79-69 home win over Illinois and a 72-66 overtime win at Northwestern--Cleaves 'took over' the games with outstanding play, scoring 27 and 34 points to raise some national eyebrows. As the motor driving MSU, Cleaves led the team in scoring (16.1), assists (7.8) and steals (2.8) Recovering from a back injury his freshman year, Cleaves performed like the league MVP. In some instances, such as a home win against Illinois and a road win against Northwestern, he 'took over' at both ends of the floor and single-handedly determined the outcomes. He was the only player to rank among the top 10 performers in Big Ten scoring (16.1), assists (7.75), and steals (2.75). He joins Scott Skiles (1986) and Shawn Respert (1995) as Spartan guards named a the conference's 'Player of the Year.'

Although Cleaves enjoyed some monster games, MSU's streak resulted from team efforts. Every player took turns making dramatic contributions. Third-team All Big Ten power forward Smith dominated the boards, averaging 8.9 caroms a contest; junior forward Jason Klein supplied timely treys; two freshmen starters, center Andre Hutson and guard Charlie Bell, showed poise and maturity. MSU's bench was outstanding and deep. Senior center Dujuan Wiley, a shot blocker, emerged as MSU's most accurate shooter--averaging double-digit scoring with 76 percent shooting in one five-game stretch. Sophomore forwards Morris Peterson and David Thomas were catalysts for offense and defense. Freshman guard Doug Davis spelled workhorse Cleaves at various times; against Ohio State, in his home town of Columbus, Davis shot 4-for-4. A special team chemistry developed. At the core are the so-called 'Flinstones'--Bell, Cleaves, Peterson and Smith. All the players worked hard together during the summer to improve. They pulled for each other.

Helping the mix were assistant coaches Tom Crean, Stan Heath and Mike Garland.

With everyone back next season except for Wiley, Izzo seems on the verge of establishing his program. Stay tuned. 'Hoops on Fire' will continue to spark Breslin and provide excitement, pride and perhaps more titles.