Complete Coverage On The Spartans
Gary Harris first Spartan named Big Ten freshman of the year
There have been a number of impact freshmen in the Big Ten this season.
Michigan State’s Gary Harris has been the brightest of that group.
Harris was honored as the Big Ten freshman of the year by the coaches and media Monday. He is the first Spartan to win the award.
“I think it’s a great honor for Gary, and a great honor for Michigan State University and our basketball program,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said. “I also think he’s vey well deserving of it. He’s a guy that’s played on both ends of the court. (That) kinda separates him from some of the other real good freshmen, which there are a lot of in this league this year.”
Harris was one of four Spartans to earn All-Big Ten honors. Junior big man Adreian Payne was named second team all-conference by the media and coaches, junior guard Keith Appling earned second team honors from the coaches and third team from the media and senior center Derrick Nix was an honorable mention selection by the coaches. (Lansing State Journal).
Recruit Drake Harris decommits from MSU
Michigan State’s chances of signing recruit Drake Harris decreased a bit in mid-January when the coveted 2014 wide receiver reopened his recruitment after originally pledging to the Spartans.
Things looked shaky as Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan ramped up their recruiting efforts for Harris. But there still was some hope for MSU, as Harris attended a Spartans basketball game and sat next to his possible future quarterback, Damion Terry, who signed with Michigan State in February. Terry told the Detroit Free Press, “I’m glad he’s a Spartan. I’m pretty sure he’ll stay with us, but we’ll have to see what happens.”
Now comes the report from WolverineNation’s Tom VanHaaren that Harris has officially decommitted from Michigan State. Harris texted VanHaaren with the news. This comes after Harris spent the past three weekends visiting Michigan. (ESPN).
#13 Michigan State 49, Wisconsin 47
Keith Appling scored 19 points and Branden Dawson added 18 while grabbing 13 rebounds to lead Michigan State to a 49-47 victory over Wisconsin in a defensive struggle Tuesday night.
“They don’t turn it over. I don’t care who they’re playing,” said Izzo, whose team finished with 10 turnovers, one more than Wisconsin. “So we said we have to play like them in that respect. We wanted to run, but we wanted to be solid with the ball, and I think we did a good of that.” (Michigan State Official Athletic Site)
Le’Veon Bell to enter NFL Draft
One of the biggest roadblocks for Michigan State in 2012 was the fact it had to replace so many playmakers on offense that left after the 2011 season. In 2013, the Spartans offense will look to be replacing the only playmaker it had in 2012.
According to his mentor, Donis Toler, running back Le’Veon Bell informed coach Mark Dantonio on Wednesday that he was leaving school to enter the NFL Draft and has hired an agent.
“He’s all in,” Toler told MLive.com. “I talked to Coach D last night, and it’s tough. Obviously, there are pros and cons, but a young man had to make a choice that’s best for him and his family, so that’s the most important thing. (CBSSports.com)
Report: Dion Sims to enter NFL Draft
By most accounts, Sims was projected somewhere between a second- and fourth-round pick. However, that was mostly based on potential. There isn’t a ton of film to show the NFL due to injuries, but the tools are all there… (The Only Colors)
