Tonight's game personal for Izzo
-- Of all the mid-major opponents Michigan State will play the next two weeks, Cleveland State is the one Tom Izzo dreads the most.
It's not because the Vikings have an outstanding record; they're 2-4. Nor has Cleveland State shown signs of upsetting a team of MSU's caliber -- not after losing to Florida A&M and Albany.
Izzo's reasons are personal. When the Spartans and Vikings meet tonight at the Breslin Center, Izzo will coach against a man who was instrumental in MSU's rise to the elite in college basketball -- a man Izzo still considers one of his best friends.
Former MSU assistant Mike Garland is in his third season as Cleveland State coach after working seven years for Izzo. During Garland's time in East Lansing, the Spartans won four Big Ten titles, made three consecutive Final Four appearances and won the 2000 national championship.
"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to help out people that are important to you," Izzo said. "I'm not sure I'd be standing here right now if it wasn't for Mike Garland. He did a lot to help this program from the infant stage of our success, not only in recruiting, but in some character-changing.
"The guy is a fistfighter, and he helped me a lot in those early days."
Izzo said he tries to avoid scheduling games against his former assistants, but he thought the matchup could help Garland's attempts to turn around the Vikings. Cleveland State went a combined 13-42 in Garland's previous two seasons.
"I think we both needed each other," Izzo said of tonight's matchup. "I think we needed a game and he needed a bigger game and a guarantee, so in a sick way I guess we're both at fault, because I don't think either one of us would enjoy this. He's gone through a little bit of a tough time, but they are getting better."
Garland remains optimistic.
"We have good players, talented players," he said. "They're young, but we've got players. I talk to them about patience and that it can happen for us if they continue to work."
Senior Maurice Ager played at MSU when Garland was an assistant, and he remembers Garland's attempts to instill a strong work ethic in him.
"Coach Garland, that was my guy," Ager said. "He was real tough. He'd pull me out of bed really early in the morning to come over and shoot."
It wasn't like Ager had overslept and missed a practice.
"No, he'd just call me out of the blue and tell me to come over," Ager said.
Ager is the Spartans' leading scorer for the second straight season, averaging 21.7 points a game.
"You have to teach kids how to work," Garland said. "If you're going to be that type of special player that Mo Ager is, you have to put in that discretionary work outside the two hours you spend in practice. Mo may not have wanted to get up that day, but there wasn't ever a time that he actually refused to put in the extra work."
Garland is one of six former Izzo assistants who are head coaches at other schools. Tom Crean took Marquette to the Final Four in 2003. Brian Gregory is coach at Dayton, Stan Heath at Arkansas, Stan Joplin at Toledo and Doug Wojcik at Tulsa.
Izzo speaks fondly of all six, but feels closest to Garland. They met at Northern Michigan, where they played basketball in the mid-1970s.
Garland's bio in the Cleveland State media guide says that during his sophomore season in 1973-74, he "befriended a young walk-on, Tom Izzo." Garland didn't play that season because of an injury, giving him time to develop a friendship with Izzo.
"We were college roommates on the road," Izzo said. "And he's just been a guy that even when we were away from each other for 11 or 12 years, he's always been one of my best friends."
Garland remembers Izzo as "just a fiery little guy trying to do what he could to make our team. I couldn't believe this little, small guy was trying to make the team. He was probably 25th on a 25-man roster."
Izzo has the edge now with the No. 12 team in the country, but he will keep encouraging Garland.
"I told him, hopefully, he can bounce back after Friday," Izzo said.
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Matchup: Michigan State won the last six games in its nine-game, 22-day, 11,000-mile stretch. After almost a weeklong break because of academic finals, the Spartans return to action against a young team with one senior starter. Freshman forward J'Nathan Bullock (11.0 points) is the Vikings' leading scorer. Junior guard Raheem Moss averages 10.5.
-- Of all the mid-major opponents Michigan State will play the next two weeks, Cleveland State is the one Tom Izzo dreads the most.
It's not because the Vikings have an outstanding record; they're 2-4. Nor has Cleveland State shown signs of upsetting a team of MSU's caliber -- not after losing to Florida A&M and Albany.
Izzo's reasons are personal. When the Spartans and Vikings meet tonight at the Breslin Center, Izzo will coach against a man who was instrumental in MSU's rise to the elite in college basketball -- a man Izzo still considers one of his best friends.
Former MSU assistant Mike Garland is in his third season as Cleveland State coach after working seven years for Izzo. During Garland's time in East Lansing, the Spartans won four Big Ten titles, made three consecutive Final Four appearances and won the 2000 national championship.
"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to help out people that are important to you," Izzo said. "I'm not sure I'd be standing here right now if it wasn't for Mike Garland. He did a lot to help this program from the infant stage of our success, not only in recruiting, but in some character-changing.
"The guy is a fistfighter, and he helped me a lot in those early days."
Izzo said he tries to avoid scheduling games against his former assistants, but he thought the matchup could help Garland's attempts to turn around the Vikings. Cleveland State went a combined 13-42 in Garland's previous two seasons.
"I think we both needed each other," Izzo said of tonight's matchup. "I think we needed a game and he needed a bigger game and a guarantee, so in a sick way I guess we're both at fault, because I don't think either one of us would enjoy this. He's gone through a little bit of a tough time, but they are getting better."
Garland remains optimistic.
"We have good players, talented players," he said. "They're young, but we've got players. I talk to them about patience and that it can happen for us if they continue to work."
Senior Maurice Ager played at MSU when Garland was an assistant, and he remembers Garland's attempts to instill a strong work ethic in him.
"Coach Garland, that was my guy," Ager said. "He was real tough. He'd pull me out of bed really early in the morning to come over and shoot."
It wasn't like Ager had overslept and missed a practice.
"No, he'd just call me out of the blue and tell me to come over," Ager said.
Ager is the Spartans' leading scorer for the second straight season, averaging 21.7 points a game.
"You have to teach kids how to work," Garland said. "If you're going to be that type of special player that Mo Ager is, you have to put in that discretionary work outside the two hours you spend in practice. Mo may not have wanted to get up that day, but there wasn't ever a time that he actually refused to put in the extra work."
Garland is one of six former Izzo assistants who are head coaches at other schools. Tom Crean took Marquette to the Final Four in 2003. Brian Gregory is coach at Dayton, Stan Heath at Arkansas, Stan Joplin at Toledo and Doug Wojcik at Tulsa.
Izzo speaks fondly of all six, but feels closest to Garland. They met at Northern Michigan, where they played basketball in the mid-1970s.
Garland's bio in the Cleveland State media guide says that during his sophomore season in 1973-74, he "befriended a young walk-on, Tom Izzo." Garland didn't play that season because of an injury, giving him time to develop a friendship with Izzo.
"We were college roommates on the road," Izzo said. "And he's just been a guy that even when we were away from each other for 11 or 12 years, he's always been one of my best friends."
Garland remembers Izzo as "just a fiery little guy trying to do what he could to make our team. I couldn't believe this little, small guy was trying to make the team. He was probably 25th on a 25-man roster."
Izzo has the edge now with the No. 12 team in the country, but he will keep encouraging Garland.
"I told him, hopefully, he can bounce back after Friday," Izzo said.
========
Matchup: Michigan State won the last six games in its nine-game, 22-day, 11,000-mile stretch. After almost a weeklong break because of academic finals, the Spartans return to action against a young team with one senior starter. Freshman forward J'Nathan Bullock (11.0 points) is the Vikings' leading scorer. Junior guard Raheem Moss averages 10.5.
