Michigan State Spartans


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The Spartans Men’s basketball team, the reigning Big Ten Regular Season Champions and NCAA Tournament runner up to the eventual champion North Carolina Tar Heels, are bringing back 12 players from last season’s team. Coach Tom Izzo, who has led the Spartans since 1995, has had an impressive run at the school posting a 336-37 (.711) record while taking his teams to five Final Four Tournaments and winning the 2000 series.

The off season recruiting proved to be fruitful for the team as Coach Izzo chose Keith Appling, a 6-3 PG from Pershing High School in Michigan, Russell Byrd, a 6-7 SG out of Blackhawk Christian School in Indiana, and Alex Guana, a 6-9 C from Eaton Rapids High School in Michigan.

A SHORT HISTORY

The Michigan State Basketball came into existence in the 1899-1900 season and were led by Coach Charles O. Bemies who guided his team to a 5-2 record. Bemies would step down and the team was then led by George E. Denman, who coached between 1901-1903 and guided his teams to an 11-0 record and is still Michigan State’s only undefeated men’s basketball coach. The most successful Spartans coach was Jud Heathcote (1976-1995) who guided his teams to an overall record of 340-194 (.637), the 1979 NCAA Championship, 9 NCAA appearances and 3 Conference Championships.

Since Coach Izzo has taken over the team, the Spartans have posted a 366-137 (.710) and has led them to the NCAA Championships in 2000, five Final Four Appearances, twelve NCAA Appearances, five Conference Championships and two Conference Tournament Championships.

Overall, the Spartans have won two NCAA Championships, one, NCAA Runner up, seven NCAA Final Four Tournament appearances, ten NCAA Elite Eight appearances, fourteen Sweet Sixteen appearances, eighteen NCAA Tournament Second Round appearances and twenty-three overall NCAA Tournament appearances. They have been Conference Tournament Champions twice and Conference Regular Season Champions eleven times.