Now that basketball season is officially among us, there are a few things every Michigan State student should know. If you’re new to MSU, or even just new to the izzone itself, get ready for one of the most unique experiences of the year. Between chants, flying newspapers, charismatic Izzone section leaders and the chance to meet even more lifelong friends, it's impossible to not enjoy every second of basketball season. SO without further ado, here are some of the key things every Izzone member should know:
The first person you should know is our coach, Tom Izzo.
Not only has Izzo taken us to seven final four appearances and mulitple Big Ten championships, it is a well known fact that he is, indeed, the king of East Lansing. Izzo has won 8 coach of the year awards and also produced 16 NBA draft picks, with 8 of those being first round.
The next thing you should know is our roster. This year's players are bound to destroy all competition, per usual.
First up, Denzel Valentine.
Valentine is arguably the face of Spartan Basketball this year. He’s a senior guard and all around badass from good ol' Lansing, Michigan. He is the only player to start all 39 games last season, and also the only Big Ten player to be ranked in the top 15 for scoring, rebounds and assists. His list of awards and accomplishments goes on and on, but one thing we can all agree on is that we wish he would never graduate.
Colby Wollenman:
Colby is a senior from Big Horn, Wyoming and (along with Connor Cook) the campus hearthrob here at MSU. I can guarantee at least 80% of the high pitched, girly squels coming from the crowd have something to do with this guy right here. But along with Colby’s impressive atheletic ability, he also won the NCAA’s Elite 89 award last season for the highest cumulative GPA among any other student athlete competing in a championship game.
Eron Harris:
Harris is a junior guard from Indianapolis, Indiana who can also hit the quan better than anyone I’ve ever seen. If you missed the Izzone Campout, you missed his impressive performance. He transferred to MSU last year and had to sit out his first season, but has definitely shown that he’s ready to go this year.
Bryn Forbes
Forbes is from Lansing, Michigan and transferred to MSU last year and was already ranked fourth in the Big Ten for 3 point field goal percentage. He’s now a senior and one of the most impactful players we have.
Deyonta Davis
Deyonta is from Muskegon, Michigan and while he may only be a freshman, he’s already proving his value to our team on the court. In highschool, he led his team to a 23-2 season, and has won multiple player of the year awards.
Lourawls 'Tum Tum' Nairn Jr.
Tum Tum is a sophomore fromNassau, Bahamas and was awarded MSU's Stephen G Scofes Inspirational Player award last season. Along with Marvin Clark, he set an MSU record of a freshman appearing in 39 games, and also started in all of the last 16 games of the season.
Kyle Ahrens
Kyle is a freshman from Versailles, Ohio who put up an impressive 30 point average in high school. He also won a multitude of awards, including a player of the year award.
Javon Bess
Javon is a sophomore from Columbus, Ohio who missed the majority of the 2014-2015 season due to a foot injury. However, he is considered a very versatile player both offensively and defensively.
Alvin Ellis III
Ellis is a junior guard from Matteson, Illinois who appeared in 32 games last season and 36 in the 2013-2014 season. He scored his career high of 16 points against Indiana last season.
Matt Costello
Matt is a senior from Linwood, Michigan who ranks 6th in MSU career blocks with 104. He also appeared in 39 games last season and shot an average of .579 from the floor.
Gavin Schilling
Gavin is a junior from Chicago, Illinois who started 33 games last season. He also shot .582 from the floor, which was the team's best.
Kenny Goins
Kenny is a freshman from Troy, Michigan and joined the team as a walk on last season. He averaged 21.1 points in high school.
Matt Van Dyk
Matt is a junior from Imlay City, Michigan and transferred to MSU last season. Prior to MSU, he averaged 16.6 points and received multiple athletic awards.
Conner George
Conner is a freshman from Okemos, Michigan and averaged 23 points his senior year of high school. He also made an impressive 38 3-pointers his last season.
Marvin Clark Jr.
Marvin is a sophomore from Kansas City, Missouri and set the freshman appearance record of 39 games along with Tum Tum. He was ranked fourth on the team last season for 3 point shots made, at 21.
Matt McQuaid
Matt is a freshman from Dallas, Texas and was named MVP of District 8-6A schools. He averaged 17.8 points in high school.
The final thing you should know is our schedule.
The home opener for the fall semester is against Florida Atlantic University on November 15th. Our biggest game, and hardest competitor this semester, is University of Louisville on December 2nd. Our only Big Ten game is against University of Iowa on December 29th.
The second semster schedule includes Big Ten home games against Illionis, Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana, Wisconsin, Penn State and Ohio State.
After we come out of these games with a winning record, you can look forward to seeing us in the final four championship starting April 2nd in Houston, Texas.
Here's to a great season, Spartans!
