Now that they have secured a third consecutive Final Four berth, a feat that elevates a school once known primarily for its football teams into an elite status in college basketball, few Michigan State players are concerned with looking past Saturday's matchup against Arizona.
But might the Spartans and coach Tom Izzo actually achieve near-legendary heights with a fourth Final Four appearance in the 2001-2002 season?
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| Marcus Taylor will be a key to the continuing success of Michigan State.(Allsport) | |
Following their 69-62 victory over Temple on Sunday afternoon, even some players who won't be around next year acknowledged there will still be enough talent on hand for a four-peat, and they agreed Izzo has so molded the Spartans in his blue-collar image that there should be precious little drop-off in what has become a Big Ten powerhouse.
"When we leave," said senior guard Charlie Bell, "it's not like the cupboard will be bare. There is a lot of talent here among the underclass guys. With one more year under their belts, and having the experience of the Final Four like they'll get this week, there's no reason next year can't be as good as the last three have been."
Indeed, in the onetime basketball hinterland that was East Lansing, Mich., the affable Izzo has fashioned a program with even more staying power than the Spartans club that featured Magic Johnson and Jay Vincent.
From the current team, Michigan State will lose five seniors, three of them starters -- Bell, fellow guard Dave Thomas and forward Andre Hutson. But the Spartans lost Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and A.J. Granger after claiming the national championship last season, and while Izzo fretted over a perceived lack of depth this year, younger players elevated their game.
Example: The Spartans led the nation in rebounding last year, with a differential of 11.7. This season, they increased the margin to a record 15.7.
That kind of improvement isn't likely to be the case next year, but no one should feel sorry for the Spartans, because there is a method to Izzo's substitution madness.
It is not by happenstance that Izzo goes to his bench early and often in virtually every game. Certainly he knows the value and wisdom in the developmental process. Eight players averaged 14 minutes or more per game this season and 11 logged more than five. In a year when he tinkered with his lineup at midseason, Izzo used seven different starters.
It all bodes well for the future, and as he had each of the last several seasons, Izzo has recruited a strong freshman class for 2001-2002. Strength in the college game might run in cycles, but Izzo seems to have assured the Spartans won't suffer appreciable slippage anytime soon. This is now a program that replenishes itself, that reloads rather than rebuilds.
The ever-cautious Izzo, who refuses to look much beyond his nose, isn't fond of talking about the future. But he acknowledged last week the Spartans will remain competitive for the foreseeable future and should challenge at least for the conference crown the next several seasons.
Notable is that Izzo points to the team his Spartans face next in the national semifinals, Arizona, as the kind of program that should serve as a model for everyone. Wildcats coach Lute Olson is taking his team to a fourth Final Four, and Izzo admires the fact Arizona has remained a Top 10 contender almost every season.
"You want to keep bringing quality people into the program, and we've been lucky enough to have accomplished that," Izzo said. "This is a good bunch of kids, just like Arizona has, but you want to keep bringing those kinds of players to your team. Right now, we're a pretty good team."
And it is prodded by a coach who, despite his affable personality, is adept at prodding, poking and cajoling his players toward excellence. At several junctures over the weekend, Izzo screamed, mostly at the underclassmen, that they were wimps. The blue collar coach clearly has a good feel for what buttons to push.
"He's the key," said sophomore forward Jason Richardson, "to everything we do."
The keys to next season, however, probably will be a pair of current freshman who figure to provide Michigan State with a potent inside-outside combination for at least one more year, or until they can no longer turn a deaf ear to the NBA's siren song. Point guard Marcus Taylor and forward Zach Randolph, who became fast friends at an offseason hoops camp and when they were being recruited by Izzo, make up a formidable nucleus for next season.
Taylor is, typical of the Spartans, an inconsistent perimeter shooter but handles the ball well and possesses great leadership skills. Randolph is Izzo's whipping boy of choice, an inside power player who could become a first-round NBA selection. Between the two, they started 17 games this season, and in 2001-2002, they will go from role players to playing significant roles.
"Those pups we have are ready to become big dogs, believe me," said Bell. "They're going to be good players. This is going to be a really good team again. Yeah, I don't think a fourth (straight) trip to the Final Four is out of the question. But let's take care of this one first, OK?"
