When #12 Michigan State squares off against Cleveland State on Friday
in East Lansing, it will be a battle of two coaches who have been
friends for over 30 years.
Tom Izzo’s Spartans (7-2) are riding a six-game win streak and have two
players scoring over 20 points per game, Maurice Ager (21.7 ppg) and
Paul Davis (20.6 ppg).
Paul Davis is averaging a double-double on the season as he is playing
like an all-American.
Mike Garland’s Vikings (2-4) are looking to improve their game by
facing an elite program such as Michigan State.
True freshman J’Nathan Bullock leads the Vikings in scoring at 11
points per game with junior guard Raheem Moss close behind at 10.5 points
per game.
Garland has switched around his starting lineups frequently this season
trying to give his young players game experience and seeing who can
produce.
Although Izzo doesn’t like facing his old assistant coaches much, what
is most important to him is if the opposing coaches’ players get better
from it.
Garland served as Izzo’s assistant coach at Michigan State from
1996-2003, but these two coaches go back all the way into their playing days.
Both members of the Northern Michigan class of 1977, they played
basketball together where Garland befriended Izzo, who was a young walk-on.
They have been friends ever since and in 2000, they won a national
championship together.
Izzo is 1-1 in his career against his former assistants, splitting a
pair of games against Stan Joplin at Toledo.
The Friday night game will come at the end of a week of finals for
Michigan State players, with some like senior forward Matt Trannon taking
an exam early Friday afternoon prior to the 7pm tip-off.
Freshman Marquise Gray may get the start at forward for the Spartans,
as Izzo revealed at Monday’s press conference that junior forward Drew Naymick might sit out for the remainder of the season and apply for a
medical redshirt. Naymick is coming off shoulder surgery that has been
giving him problems.
The Spartans will be returning home to the Breslin Center as well,
having last played there more than two weeks ago on November 30 against
Georgia Tech.
Although this game will be tough for both coaches to handle, when the
two shake hands at the game’s conclusion for a job well done, they will
still be friends rather than opponents.