Taming the Tournament by Maple Street Press

Taming the Tournament An insider’s perspective on the Spartans’ NCAA Tournament success by Aloysius Anagonye

he Michigan State Spartans really do resemble their namesakes, the ancient Greek warriors of Sparta, in that our team is based on discipline, precision, and maintaining our spirit—even in the face of hardship. As a basketball player at Michigan State, I learned all those values, as well as sacrifice, tradition, growth, and leadership. This is the story of the last part of my freshman season: the 2000 NCAA Tournament, when Michigan State won the national championship.

Preparing for Success We entered the NCAA Tournament with a 26–7 record and had just won the Big Ten Tournament. We were a #1 seed, and we were focused on winning a national championship. We were hungry for success and worked hard all season. Coach Tom Izzo and his team of coaches did a great job preparing us for each upcoming game. The process started with video analysis of our next opponent, followed by a detailed report on each play they ran, and which plays or defenses they would call most often, and in certain situations. There wasn’t time to prepare equally for every play or scheme in the other team’s playbook, so we had to focus on the things we thought they would actually use, and it was amazing how often the coaching staff would pick out the right calls—the ones that the opposing team actually used in the game. Our goal was to play differently in each game. That happened in part because each opponent was different, and our video analysis was focused on the teams we

The Program would play against. But we also studied our own play in order to learn from our mistakes, so we wouldn’t repeat them in the upcoming games.

Tournament Routine The NCAA Tournament lasts for about a month, and during that time we had a pretty consistent routine. During the week, we would be in East Lansing, and it was an exciting time for the MSU community—everyone was happy to see the team doing well. For the players, we would spend our time on campus either in the gym or catching up on school work. Life in those weeks was hectic, but with good time-management skills, we managed to complete our schoolwork and give 100% effort at practices and games. I actually looked forward to sitting in class during the Tournament, because it was such a different setting and tempo than the actual Tournament. Classes were also a pleasant experience for players because the other students would often encourage and congratulate us. However, focusing in class was a big challenge. They were short school weeks. We traveled to the Tournament sites every Wednesday (we would play in a

different host city every weekend) and made it back to MSU by Monday. The team would travel with an academic adviser and a tutor, which was helpful because the further we advanced, the more classes we missed. Once we traveled to the Tournament site, there was a different kind of routine. Each weekend we played two games, two days apart, first on a Thursday or Friday and then a Saturday or Sunday—until the last weekend of the Tournament, because the championship game is always played on Monday night. At the Tournament, every weekend we followed the same simple process: eat, sleep, study, and practice. We had practice every morning, followed by lunch, and then study time. We stayed in the same hotel as some of the other teams from the same bracket. That allowed us to get to know the other players and develop some camaraderie with them—more so even than with the other Big Ten teams, because of the time we spent together off the court at the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament games themselves are harder to play than regular season games. There is a lot of pressure, especially for us back then, because in each round we were favored to win.

Anagonye didn’t shy away from contact. 126 | Spartan Tip-Off 2010–2011

We prepared all year for success in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State is one of a few universities that encourages alumni basketball players to play open gym games with the current players during the summer. These games are like unofficial workshops for current players, who can test their games against the older players and also receive feedback and mentoring from them. Another important factor in our success was the MSU scout team. Coach Izzo always had the team ready for action. The scout team had to always be at practice 15 minutes early, working with our assistant coaches on the players and schemes that our next opponent would use. The scout team would mimic the opponent so that our practices were just like the conditions we would encounter in the games. The scout team did a great of imitating the opposing players and usually played ten times better than the opponent actually would. That got us ready. Another reason for team’s success was the coaches’ video analysis. After practice, we always watched videos of our practices, our previous games, and of our opponents and their games. That was study time for us—it was detailed, specific, and a great tool for us to learn and prepare. Preparation is a hallmark of the Michigan State program. Coach Izzo stresses the “Five Ps”: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. During the Tournament, we prepared carefully for each game—for our own performance, and so we would be ready for anything our opponent might

Photo on previous page: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Photo this page: Danny Moloshok/Getty Images

The Five Ps

Taming The Tournament try. We understood that every single game leads to the next game, and that attitude was essential.

Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

The 2000 NCAA Tournament I was a freshman during the 1999–00 season, so it was my first NCAA Tournament. We opened with two convincing wins, first beating Valparaiso by 27 points on March 16, then winning by 12 against Utah on March 18. We headed back to East Lansing excited and motivated for the next game. It was against Syracuse, which had a star forward, Eton Thomas. Coach Izzo told me, “This guy is going to kick your butt!” He was strong and mean. I was so hyped up to play that I got four fouls in four minutes. At first I was upset, but then I realized that it had taken a lot of energy for him to go against me. We fell behind early, but Thomas only scored seven points, and eventually we wore them down—we won by 17 points! The foul situation got me thinking a lot about my performance. I was only a freshman, playing in big games on a great team. Coach Izzo made sure that we knew our specific roles on the team. I realized I had a job to do as a rookie: to wear out the players on the other team. So even though people made fun of me for getting so many fouls, and it wasn’t good, well, if I hadn’t fouled so often, who knows? Maybe Syracuse would have had enough energy to stay in the game and win. Instead, during the second half, they were clearly drained, and we were still able to execute. I got used to close games and to the tension you feel against an underdog team when the game is close. It happened again in our next game against Iowa State, when we came from behind to win 75–64. Once again I picked up four fouls—at least this time, it took me eight minutes. With that win, we advanced to the Final Four. Our next game, against Wisconsin, was tricky. We had just played the Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament a couple of weeks beforehand, so they knew our tactics, and they were also a great defensive team. In fact, in our Final Four game, both teams had trouble scoring. At halftime, we had combined for only 36 points, one of the lowest scores in NCAA Tournament history. Even the crowd felt frustrated and edgy. The ball went everywhere but in the basket, even though our team had good looks at the basket. But we finally broke through in the second half, and won, 53–41. I also reversed my trend, and managed to collect only two fouls in 12 minutes. With the win over Wisconsin, we advanced to the championship game.

Playing for a championship Every game is important, but nothing compares to playing for a national championship. We practiced on Sunday night, the night before the game. There was also a meeting and walk-through

The team’s hard work paid off with a national championship victory over Florida in 2000. with the entire coaching staff. The team was confident. The University of Florida had a big center, Udonis Haslem. I knew I had to play as rough and hard as I could. That meant more fouls, which was fine—I had to wear him out, which would allow our juniors and seniors to play well without exerting too much energy. Little things are important in making it through the final game and this was crucial for me. If I did something wrong, it could cost us the championship. A strange thing happened, though: I played physically, but didn’t get whistled for a single foul. It worked out, because I out-rebounded Haslem (only 3–2, but then again he played 28 minutes and I played 11). Most importantly, we won 89–76. I had my part in it, even with no fouls in the box score.

To be a Spartan Playing for that championship team in 2000, I learned how important it is for each player to focus on improving his own performance in the context of working for the team’s progress. All I cared about was making sure that if there was something that needed to be done, I took care of it. That is what teamwork is all about, and that’s what it means to be a Spartan. MSP

Aloysius Anagonye was a freshman on the Spartan’s national championship team in 2000. He plays basketball professionally overseas, and is currently a member of the Ford Autocid Burgos team in Spain’s LEB Gold league. He has also played in Slovenia, Italy, and France.

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