Sports: A Transition for Men's Basketball/A Vertical Stretch for Women's Hoops
Izzo’s rebuilding job had fans thinking big—until two key untimely injuries halted the momentum.
For a while, MSU’s “rebuilding” season was going so well that some fans were envisioning yet another Tom Izzo-trademark championship run.
But an old Izzo nemesis—the stress fracture—struck twice before the Big Ten opener and put that notion on pause.
Expectations had been low for the 2006-07 men’s basketball team, which was both young and inexperienced. Izzo lost three starters to the NBA (Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Paul Davis) and a fourth possibly to the NFL (Matt Trannon). Yet this year’s team kept finding different ways to win, no matter which style—slowdown (Brown, 45-34), uptempo (Youngstown State, 86-61), acrobatic (Chicago State, 69-61), you name it.
In the Coaches vs. Cancer finals at New York’s Madison Square Garden, MSU managed to beat No. 19-ranked Texas, with leading scorer Drew Neitzel making a spectacular drive for the winning layup. MSU did lose two close games in the season, but one of them—62-60 to Maryland—featured a no-call on an apparent Terrapin shot clock violation.
For the most part, this year’s cagers seemed to be making up for their inexperience by going retro to Izzo basics—scraping for rebounds, diving for lose balls, playing stingy defense (with a surge of blocked shots).
Junior guard Neitzel emerged as the team’s leading scorer (17.9) and playmaker, while backcourt mate sophomore Travis Walton, a defensive specialist last season, has unveiled a reasonable shot and averaged 7 points a game. Small forward Morgan averaged in double figures prior to his injury. The “Bigs,” as Izzo calls his front court players, showed improvement. Sophomores Goran Suton and Marquise Gray produced great scoring outputs in given games, but needed to work on consistency. One statistic that improved dramatically was blocked shots, with 6-10 junior center Drew Naymick and 6-9 sophomore Ibok Ibong leading the way.
This unsung collection of cagers fought and scratched they way to an impressive 13-2 preseason record, earning considerable praise in the media.
But then arose an Izzo-era bugaboo—the stress fracture. This injury struck forward Raymar Morgan, the second leading scorer as a true freshman, and sophomore guard Maurice Joseph, the team’s second best shooter. Both went down just before the holiday break. Even so, the Spartans continued to win, beating BYU at the Palace, and then polishing up Chicago State, Belmont, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Loyola of Maryland at the Breslin Center.
Despite the wins, Tom Izzo remained unhappy prior to conference play. A team that was already thin around the perimeter could not afford injuries to two perimeter players. Their absence affected practices. Izzo sensed that progress was stalling just as the Spartans had to open up with two road games at Iowa and Indiana.
“This team isn't ready to win in the Big Ten the way we've played the last four or five games, especially on the road," cautioned Izzo just before MSU began its conference play.
At 13-2, MSU probably needed to at least break even in conference play to earn an NCAA bid. If MSU somehow pulls itself together and manages to get into the big dance, it would mark its 10th straight appearance—the nation’s fifth longest streak.
Spartan fans know also that help is coming. Three highly-ranked perimeter players are coming next season.
A VERTICAL STRETCH FOR WOMEN’S HOOPS
Freshman Alyssa DeHaan makes an immediate impact as both a scorer and shotblocker. Wait till she makes her first dunk.
Despite graduating its two all-time scorers, the MSU women’s basketball team has received tremendous media buzz this season.
The center of attention? Grandville freshman Allyssa DeHaan, who at 6-9 has the potential not only to excel but also to alter the college game.
"She changes the game completely," explains Joanne P. McCallie, the 2005 AP National Coach of the Year. "Defensively, she changes the game by her stature, as long as she's very aggressive. Offensively, she is just such a target. The thing about her that is truly extraordinary is her ability to pass the basketball. Her passing ability is pretty phenomenal for a young person under so much pressure as people try to double or be physical with her."
In just 12 games, DeHaan notched 60 blocked shots—breaking Kristen Rasmussen’s single-season record of 57 blocked shots in 1998-99. By mid-season, she led the nation in blocked shots. She averaged around 12 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocked shots per game and has not been intimidated by veteran All-Americans. In losses against national champion Maryland and LSU, she blocked five shots by Terrapin All-American center Crystal Langhome and three shots by Tiger All-American Sylvia Fowles. DeHaan ranks among the leading scorers in the Big Ten and is a candidate for Rookie of the Year honors.
MSU features other weapons besides DeHaan. Senior guards Rene Haynes and Victoria Lucas-Perry are proven players who compete at the highest level. Both are averaging double figures. Transfer Mia Johnson has helped out at the guard spot. Sophomore Aisha Jefferson made the All Big Ten freshman team last season and has continued to be a force inside, along with senior forward Katrina Grantham. But DeHaan has captured the most attention as MSU reached a decent 12-3 by mid-season, poised to make its fifth straight NCAA tournament.
“I'm not the least bit surprised at the success that she is having because of the kind of the kind of person she is," notes McCallie.
Meanwhile, fans and media are awaiting DeHaan’s first slam dunk.