Led by coach Tom Izzo, the Michigan State Spartans are looking to capture their third national title. In fact, this could be one of school’s deeper squads, as the team has what seems to be an infinite amount of options on its roster.
They might lack the appeal of players such as Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky or Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, nor do they have four dominant big men like Kentucky. What Michigan State does have is a solid collection of players looking to accomplish one goal, and that’s winning.
It’s unfortunate there are only two Spartans on Chad Ford’s ESPN Top 100 NBA prospects list(Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine.) ,especially when the team’s leading scorer Travis Trice didn’t even make the top-100 list.
Former Michigan State star, and current Golden State Warrior, Draymond Green, knows a thing or two about being an under-appreciated Spartan.
The former second-round pick has been one of the NBA’s biggest revelations this season averaging 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds. This coming off of two seasons where he averaged 2.9 and 6.2 points respectively.
The current Warrior, and potential NBA Most Improved Player, wasn’t surprised his team has gotten overlooked, as he states on his twitter account @Money23Green.
“Often made mistake!!! And No Trice. At what point will they learn?!?!”
You could make a case that Trice is the most talented player on this Michigan State team. The senior guard from Huber Heights, Ohio–same hometown and high school (Wayne H.S.) as current Ohio State Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller–has been sensational for the Spartans during their NCAA Tournament run averaging 19.7 points and 4.0 assists.
Michigan State always seem to kick things into high gear around tournament time. You can attribute that to a few things. One of those factors being good coaching, as Tom Izzo always has his team running at full throttle.
However, Izzo can only do so much. A lot of his success comes from a good collection of athletes that share a common dream, winning a national title, and that’s something you can’t do without great talent.