Michigan State’s ‘Grind Week’ brings 20 former players back to campus
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State basketball players from all generations returned to East Lansing Thursday as part of the program’s third-annual Grind Week, a weekend reunion event where current and former Spartans scrimmage, train and bond together.
Tom Izzo’s 40 years on the Michigan State coaching staff, plus his relationship with former Spartan coach Jud Heathcote and his former players, have given Michigan State the rare opportunity to host an an event like Grind Week.
“I swear to you, there are a lot of guys (who wish they could have their own type of Grind Week),” Izzo said. “But some of them haven’t been at the same place very long. The relationships with Gus (Ganakas) and Jud and me means that there were guys here that played even before Gus – that would’ve been (for) John Benington. There were a couple of guys that played then. Pat Miller was here, he played for Gus and then worked for him. One of my goals is to get the Johnny Greens of the world back, some of those guys. That’ll be the goal next year.
“I will say that it’s taken a lot of time, too, and not everybody has the same stability that we’ve had. But the grit and calling it Grind Week, that’s who we are, that’s what we are, that’s what Michigan State is. That’s what makes it special for me. Travis (Walton) and Draymond (Green) and guys like that, Mateen (Cleaves), they kind of named it. And I love the name.”
A handful of Michigan State’s former players play professional basketball, whether in the NBA or overseas. Izzo was occasionally shocked by some of the skill those players displayed in Thursday’s scrimmage, and in some of the other workouts and drills.
“When I stood up there yesterday and just looked down and saw the players and the workouts, we have pro workout guys here, we’ve got some guys who haven’t been back – Kalin Lucas, who hasn’t been back in a while,” Izzo said. “God, he played so good. No wonder I won a lot of games. But seeing all of those guys, and then seeing them interact with our guys has been special. They lifted together, kind of worked out together a little bit, and then they got to play against each other. I think some of our guys, (like) Gary Harris, put a number on a few people. Xavier (Tillman) of course, (and) Draymond, (too).
“Even Kalin, he went at Tyson Walker pretty good and Tyson said, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize.’ I think that’s the difference: The strength, the power. It’s really good for our guys.”
Lucas, who played at Michigan State from 2007-10, hasn’t been able to return to East Lansing as often as some of Izzo’s other former players due to his overseas career. But he returned this year and stood out in the scrimmage.
“He played really good,” Izzo said. “It’s fun to see those guys and it shows you, too, what experience does. I think our young guys learned a little lesson.”
Coen Carr, a freshman on the 2023-24 team, is likely the only current player who taught some of the former players a lesson.
“Coen dunked better than some of those guys,” Izzo said.
“Jason Richardson’s coming in later too, but I have to admit, watching guys like JR, or Miles (Bridges), or Branden Dawson, or Shannon Brown, those high flyers, it’s something. But this kid (Carr) has kind of got another level, and he’s 220 (pounds).
“I know you guys won’t believe this, but he couldn’t jump until he came this summer, and I taught him the whole thing,” Izzo joked. “That was two months of work.”
Steve Smith, Magic Johnson, Korie Lucious, Eron Harris, Brandon Wood and Dajuan Wiley are just a handful of other players who returned to campus for this year’s Grind Week. Izzo’s happy that a guy like Wood, who played just one season with Michigan State from 2011-12, returns to campus as often as he does.
The event is also a draw for recruits. A handful of Michigan State basketball recruits will be on campus Saturday for Michigan State’s football game against Richmond at 3:30 p.m. At some point in the day, before or after the basketball team tailgates and heads to the game, Izzo expects the recruits to come to the Breslin Center to watch the current and former players scrimmage.
In today’s college athletics landscape, one partly defined by NIL and the transfer portal, Izzo said that he wants current and future Michigan State players to understand that events like Grind Week are still “the most important thing.”
“What I try to tell some of the people when you’re just moving all over (in the portal is), ‘Where do you go back?’” Izzo said. “These guys have a home to come back to, and I think it’s important to them. It’s important to me, but I think it’s important to them.
“Some of them come back and some of them haven’t been back as often. Maybe they’re playing in Europe, missed it last year. (The players say), ‘Coach, I had so much fun. This is so awesome seeing the guys. We got the NBA locker room in there.’ They have their own locker room, they’re going to be doing their own thing. It always helps, we had some pied pipers. Smitty (Steve Smith) was a pied piper. Magic was a pied piper in his era. Now I’ve got Travis and Draymond, who were unbelievable. So that kind of stuff really helps, too.”
For Izzo, Michigan State’s longest-tenured men’s basketball coach at 28 years and counting, Grind Week is an event he always looks forward to amidst the constant chaos of his profession.
“This is special,” Izzo said. “I think of a lot of things I get to do, some things I have to do. This is definitely a thing I want to do. When I see them come back, it’s like winning a big, big game. Not just a regular game. It’s a big, big game.”
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