mark dantonio - MSU Alumni Association - Michigan State University

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Photos courtesy of MSU Sports Information GLI CHAMPS AGAIN! — MSU beat archrival Michigan in the finals of the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament, college hockey’s most prestigious holiday tournament, at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. In the past 10 years, MSU has won 6 titles in 9 GLI finals appearances at Joe Louis Arena, while the Wolverines have won no titles in five appearances in the finals. Coach Rick Comley has now surpassed the 700-win mark and ranks among the Top Five all-time winningest coaches in college hockey history. A TRANSITION FOR MEN’S BASKETBALL By Robert Bao Izzo’s rebuilding job had fans thinking big—until two key untimely injuries halted the momentum. For a while, MSU’s “rebuilding” season was going so well that some fans were envisioning yet another Tom Izzo-trademark championship run. But an old Izzo nemesis—the stress fracture—struck twice before the Big Ten opener and put that notion on pause. Expectations had been low for the 2006-07 men’s basketball team, which was both young and inexperienced. Izzo lost three starters to the NBA (Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Paul Davis) and a fourth possibly to the NFL (Matt Trannon). Yet this year’s team kept finding different ways to win, no matter which style—slowdown (Brown, 45-34), uptempo (Youngstown State, 86-61), acrobatic (Chicago State, 69-61), you name it. In the Coaches vs. Cancer finals at New York’s Madison Square Garden, MSU managed to beat No. 19-ranked Texas, Izzo Neitzel with leading scorer Drew Neitzel making a spectacular drive for the winning layup. MSU did lose two close games in the season, but one of them—62-60 to Maryland—featured a no-call on an apparent Terrapin shot clock violation. For the most part, this year’s cagers seemed to be making up for their inexperience by going retro to Izzo basics—scraping for rebounds, diving for lose balls, playing stingy defense (with a surge of blocked shots). Junior guard Neitzel emerged as the team’s leading scorer (17.9) and playmaker, while backcourt mate sophomore Travis Walton, a defensive specialist last season, has unveiled a reasonable shot and averaged 7 points a game. Small forward Morgan averaged in double figures prior to his injury. The “Bigs,” as Izzo calls his front court players, showed improvement. Sophomores Goran Suton and Marquise Gray produced great scoring outputs in given games, but needed to work on consistency. One statistic that improved dramatically was blocked shots, with 6-10 junior center Drew Naymick and 6-9 sophomore Ibok Ibong leading the way. This unsung collection of cagers fought and scratched they way to an impressive 13-2 preseason record, earning considerable praise in the media. But then arose an Izzo-era bugaboo—the stress fracture. This injury struck forward Raymar Morgan, the second leading scorer as a true freshman, and sophomore guard Maurice Joseph, the team’s second best shooter. Both went down just before the holiday break. Even so, the Spartans continued to win, beating BYU at the Palace, and then polishing up Chicago State, Belmont, Wisconsin- Green Bay and Loyola of Maryland at the Breslin Center. Despite the wins, Tom Izzo remained unhappy prior to conference play. A team that was already thin around the perimeter could not afford injuries to two perimeter players. Their absence affected practices. Izzo sensed that progress was stalling just as the Spartans had to open up with two road games at Iowa and Indiana. “This team isn’t ready to win in the Big Ten the way we’ve played the last four or five games, especially on the road,” cautioned Izzo just before MSU began its conference play. At 13-2, MSU probably needed to at least break even in conference play to earn an NCAA bid. If MSU somehow pulls itself together and manages to get into the big dance, it would mark its 10th straight appearance—the nation’s fifth longest streak. Spartan fans know also that help is coming. Three highlyranked perimeter players are coming next season. Page 34 Winter 2007 MSU Alumni Magazine 046957070001_30-39.indd 34 1/30/07 11:09:13 AM
A VERTICAL STRETCH FOR WOMEN’S HOOPS DeHaan By Robert Bao Freshman Alyssa DeHaan makes an immediate impact as both a scorer and shotblocker. Wait till she makes her first dunk. Despite graduating its two alltime scorers, the MSU women’s basketball team has received tremendous media buzz this season. The center of attention? Grandville freshman Allyssa DeHaan, who at 6-9 has the potential not only to excel but also to alter the college game. “She changes the game completely,” explains Joanne P. Mc- Callie, the 2005 AP National Coach of the Year. “Defensively, she changes the game by her stature, as long as she’s very aggressive. Offensively, she is just such a target. The thing about her that is truly extraordinary is her ability to pass the basketball. Her passing ability is pretty phenomenal for a young person under so much pressure as people try to double or be physical with her.” In just 12 games, DeHaan notched 60 blocked shots— breaking Kristen Rasmussen’s single-season record of 57 blocked shots in 1998-99. By mid-season, she led the nation in blocked shots. She averaged around 12 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocked shots per game and has not been intimidated by veteran All-Americans. In losses against national champion Maryland and LSU, she blocked five shots by Terrapin All-American center Crystal Langhome and three shots by Tiger All-American Sylvia Fowles. DeHaan ranks among the leading scorers in the Big Ten and is a candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. MSU features other weapons besides DeHaan. Senior guards Rene Haynes and Victoria Lucas-Perry are proven players who compete at the highest level. Both are averaging double figures. Transfer Mia Johnson has helped out at the guard spot. Sophomore Aisha Jefferson made the All Big Ten freshman team last season and has continued to be a force inside, along with senior forward Katrina Grantham. But DeHaan Haynes has captured the most attention as MSU reached a decent 12-3 by mid-season, poised to make its fi fth straight NCAA tournament. “I’m not the least bit surprised at the success that she is having because of the kind of person she is,” notes McCallie. Meanwhile, fans and media are awaiting DeHaan’s first slam dunk. Click Right Through for MSU www.msualum.com Page 35 046957070001_30-39.indd 35 1/30/07 12:30:25 PM
Page 1 and 2: MARK DANTONIO MEET MICHIGAN STATE
Page 3 and 4: Michigan State University • Winte
Page 5 and 6: INBASKET FUN, FLOATS AND THE FROG Y
Page 7 and 8: license agreements for new technolo
Page 9 and 10: sor of chemistry, and colleagues Da
Page 11 and 12: The MSU Alumni Association would li
Page 13 and 14: ROBERT GOLDBORT: WRITING FOR SCIENC
Page 15 and 16: president of Raphael-Leritz Consult
Page 17 and 18: The Danube River ~ Vienna to Buchar
Page 19 and 20: MSU needs some $80 million more to
Page 21 and 22: The MSU Office of Planned Giving A
Page 23 and 24: THE STUDENT ALUMNI FOUNDATION EMERG
Page 25 and 26: $100,000—most of which it raises
Page 27 and 28: Weekend, a series of events for par
Page 29 and 30: U SING ON ARTS AND HUMANITIES ties.
Page 31 and 32: citement, the pleasure, the improvi
Page 33 and 34: Photo courtesy of MSU Sports Inform
Page 35: you come here, we can feature you i
Page 39 and 40: Big Opportunities at the Big Ten Ne
Page 41 and 42: KEDZIE REUNION 2007 MICHIGAN STATE
Page 43 and 44: Photo courtesy of Pat Page Spartans
Page 45 and 46: White House Photo by Paul Morse SPO
Page 47 and 48: Heidi Potter MSU Bike Project, is c
Page 49 and 50: MSUFCU Study Abroad Scholarship rec
Page 51 and 52: she was a project management superv
Page 53 and 54: Ronald Rickens, Sr., ’58, of Alto
Page 55 and 56: 046957070001_Covers.indd 5 1/30/07

mark dantonio - MSU Alumni Association - Michigan State University

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