At the end of last season, I started to write a post about why I am such a big Michigan State fan. I never published it and now it is the next season.
But nothing has changed. After only the first few games, I am again thinking about why I am such a fan.
Look at ESPN's list of top basketball recruits for the past few years.
Every year there are only a few young men with NBA bodies and skills. Where do they go to college?
Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina.
Every year those schools get the 2 or more of the top recruits.
Every year those schools are in the top 10 and the national spotlight.
Every year 1 or more players from those teams graduates to the NBA and makes millions.
Not so with Michigan State.
MSU never gets the top candidates (unless they happen to be a Michigander). Very few Spartan's go on to the NBA and even fewer do well there. Jason Richardson is really the only big star I can think of in the past 10 years.
No, MSU takes the best players they can get in and around Michigan. MSU takes the players that dont get to go to the top schools and makes do with what they have.
I am a huge Izzo fan because he achieves without the best talent. He delivers in the tournament without all the media attention, the SI cover stories or the adoration during the season.
Izzo's teams are usually inconsistent and frustrating during the regular season. After all, these are teenagers, college kids. But then they deliver in March Madness.
Izzo shows that basketball is still a team sport and good teams can sometimes do better than star players. Izzo's teams represent us, the people that are good at their job but not great or famous. Every year it seems hopeless but Izzo's teams seem to go further than they should. He keeps hope alive.
This week MSU travels to Duke for the ACC challenge. Ugh, I expect a disaster but I will still watch and cheer my heart out.
Go Green!
Go White!
