mlive.com
The Spartans held Arkansas-Pine Bluff scoreless for almost the first 10 minutes of the game, claimed 27 rebounds by half , and victoriously defeated their opponent 76-44. And Izzo was furious. Furious with moments of soft defense, poor confidence and shooting, and (once again) way too many unforced turnovers. With 8:29 left in the game and a win secure, Izzo called a time out to inform his players of his displeasure- Izzo style. His mood did not change with the conclusion of the game, stating, “If we play as sloppy as we did, we’re going to get punched in the mouth.” Ouch. That very response, though, is why I love Izzo. It’s why players desire to play for him (though they may not have felt that way at practice on Thursday). It’s why his players always improve tremendously throughout the season, why we as fans don’t fret about a rocky start in the fall, and why come March, the Spartans are inevitably a force to be reckoned with. Izzo screams, paces, scowls, and passionately demands the best out of each player because he cares how you play every moment and every play of the game. To use his own words, Izzo respects the game. The ENTIRE game.
Out of respect for Izzo and the team, let’s not overlook both the team’s victory and that of its individual players. The Spartans were an intense swarm of....well Spartan warriors.... on defense, their defensive pressure keeping APB to the low score of 12 points at half (7 of which points came in the last 2:20 minutes of the first half). The Spartan’s took back some of their “Christmas giving spirit” by stealing from APB all over the court (Kearney with 4 steals, Harris with 3, Appling and Payne with 2, and Dawson, Trice and Valentine each with 1). They pulled down a total of 42 rebounds to APB’s 27, and Appling, Dawson, Nix, and Costello all contributed blocks to the already (mostly) aggressive defense. They respected the game by playing like Spartans- fiercely playing the defensive end of the court and the board.
What shone through to me, though, was the passion and skill that DID shine through specific players amidst a team that became, in their own words, a bit too relaxed at the end. Appling began using his voice more to call out players for unforced turnovers (Thank you Appling! Lets let Izzo conserve his own hoarse voice and stop repeating himself!). Payne sprang to the boards with a vengeance for a grand total of 8 rebounds, with Dawson right behind him with 7. Guana became a big man off the bench with 6 points, 3 assists (!!!), and 2 rebounds within 8 minutes. Valentine, to quote my excited blogging partner, looked like a kid in a candy store with his passion for the game as he accumulated 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists (the team and Valentine will continue to mesh and his numbers of assists will grow. Mark my words!). But when I look for a player to exemplify respect for the WHOLE game, each play, each moment, Trice stands out. Injury upon recovering from illness, and he continues to play with confidence from behind the mask. Trice respects the game and all of its players, acknowledging his strengths and that of his teammates in order to make the necessary plays. 12 points, and 4 for 7 from behind the three (for our current Spartan team, that is huuuuuge). But my favorite Trice stat- 5 assists. Second leading scorer of the game. Top in assists.
“Coach wasn’t happy at all,” Trice said, “We weren’t either. We were disappointed in ourselves. That’s not the way we play. You can’t relax like that. We’ve got bigger thing to play for.”
Thank you Trice for respecting the game. For admitting the faults of the team, while maintaining the appropriate respect for the Spartan basketball team. Soft is NOT the way we Spartans play. And, as a true Izzo prodigy, Trice knows that EVERY game and EVERY moment is a valuable wind on the road to the Final Four.
Next Game- Saturday December 8th at 2pm at the Breslin against Loyola Chicago
Go State!
No comments:
Post a Comment