With March Madness nearly upon us, we thought we’d take some time to reflect back on the history of Michigan State basketball and put together an all-time roster for fans to debate.
While there are some tremendous players absent below, we think we put together a strong team of five starters, five reserves, a head coach and two assistants. However, this should spark debate since MSU is one of the deepest programs in NCAA basketball history.
Check it out below:
PG: Magic Johnson 1978-79
What else is there to say about Magic Johnson? Considered one of the best basketball players of all time, Magic led the Spartans to an historic championship in 1979 before jumping to the NBA, where he became a global superstar and icon.
SG: Steve Smith 1988-91
When Steve Smith left Michigan State, he was their all-time leading scorer, a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, and a lottery pick to the NBA. Smith would go on to become an NBA All-Star, Champion, and Olympic Gold Medal winner.
SF: Greg Kelser 1976-79
The Robin to Magic Johnson’s Batman, Greg Kelser was no slouch himself, and was the only MSU player to score over 2,000 points and collect over 1,000 rebounds.
PF: Draymond Green 2009-12
Draymond Green could give Magic Johnson and Cassius Winston a run for their money when it comes to the smartest basketball players in MSU history. The way this 6’6″ power forward was able to command the offense and defense was legendary, and he was named the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2012 for his efforts, before going onto an epic career in the NBA.
C: Johnny Green 1955-59
If you aren’t hip to Michigan State history, you might be surprised to learn that one of their most prolific ‘big men’ was only 6’5″. But that’s how special Johnny Green was. The little-big man averaged 16.4 rebounds per game for the Spartans while leading the Spartans to multiple Big Ten titles.
Bench PG: Mateen Cleaves 1997-2000
This is the one where I think fans will debate the most, because for me, it’s a toss-up between Mateen Cleaves and Cassius Winston for this role. But how can you go wrong with the engine behind MSU’s last championship team? Mateen is the only three-time All-American in school history. A classic point guard who would rather rack up assists and than shoot the three, Cleaves led helped his Flinstones emerge as a powerhouse unit in the nineties.
Bench SG: Shawn Respert 1991-95
This one was also a toss-up for me. You could easily put Respert in for Steve Smith with the starters – he was that good. In fact, he broke Smith’s scoring record. I think Respert’s legacy gets hurt because of bad timing and bad luck. He came in right before the Izzo era started and wasn’t able to have the pro career many expected due to a devastating stomach cancer diagnosis. Respert averaged an insane 25.6 points per game his senior season while being named a unanimous First-Team All-American
Bench SF: Morris Peterson 1996-2000
Morris ‘Mo’ Peterson was the archetype of the modern basketball wing. A tremendous shooter, strong defender, and fantastic teammate, the Spartans don’t win their last championship without Peterson stroking it from outside. Peterson was named the 2000 Big Ten Player of the Year.
Bench PF: Branden Dawson 2012-15
Some may call this recency bias, but I had to put Branden Dawson here. To me, Dawson represents everything the Tom Izzo has been about: hustle, grit, rebounding, defense, courage. Dawson was a major part of the 2015 Final Four squad and will be remembered as a major fan favorite.
Bench C: Adreian Payne 2011-14
This might be a sentimental pick for me, as there are plenty of centers to choose from here like Paul Davis, Goran Suton, Xavier Tillman, and many more, but Adreian Payne was the man when he was a Spartan. For all of his on the court achievements, it was his friendship with Lacey Holsworth that will always be remembered by Spartan nation.
Assistant Coach1: Mike Garland 1996-2003, 2007-22
Something I have always loved about Tom Izzo, is that he brought his college best friend and teammate along with him for an incredible ride. Mike Garland played with Izzo at Northern Michigan decades ago, and the duo stayed together for years coaching MSU basketball. Garland was a massive part of MSU’s championship culture.
Assistant Coach 2: Dwayne Stephens
Years as assistant coach: 2003-2022
Dwayne Stephens was Tom Izzo’s big man whisperer until leaving to take the Western Michigan job recently. He is credited for helping recruit and develop talents like Draymond Green, Adreian Payne, Branden Dawson, Deyonta Davis, Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr.. That’s a heck of a resume for someone who wasn’t such a bad big man himself in his era.
Head Coach: Tom Izzo 1995-present
Sure, if you want to look at titles only, you could make a case for Heathcote here. But come on. Tom Izzo is one of the most iconic basketball coaches in the history of the profession. If you ask a random person on the street to name every basketball coach they can think of, odds are, Izzo’s name will come up pretty quick. Tom Izzo has made an entire culture around MSU basketball, one that produced a championship along with decades of excellence. He will go down as the greatest coach in MSU history, and maybe even Big Ten history when all is said and done.
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