Trend setters

During the last couple of weeks, Tom Izzo has transitioned into the figurehead of the state of Michigan.

The Michigan State men’s basketball coach has appeared on national networks and relayed what his team’s appearance in Detroit means to the state in which he was born and raised.

But he can also coach a little.

He’s taken a team that many had overlooked to the summit of college basketball, using top talent, yes, but also a wave of entitlement, confidence and momentum that is rarely seen at any level of athletics.

MSU was not even the champion at the Big Ten Tournament, yet finds itself in the national championship game at 9:27 p.m. today in Detroit.

Like any team, MSU had its fair share of letdowns during the season. It started with an 80-62 loss to Maryland on Nov. 27. A week later, a 98-63 loss to North Carolina at Ford Field, one of the many storylines that makes this final game run completely full circle.

There were struggles in the Big Ten schedule as well – the 70-63 loss to Northwestern on Jan. 21 and 72-54 loss at Purdue on Feb. 17 come to mind.

But there were no letdowns during the last three weeks. MSU has given people something to believe in.

One of those believers is CMU men’s basketball coach Ernie Zeigler, who now thinks the Spartans have the mettle to take down North Carolina tonight.

Perfect combination

Zeigler is in the Motor City for the Final Four, and witnessed one of his good friend’s team’s 82-73 dismantling of No. 1-seed Connecticut on Saturday.

Zeigler has known Izzo for more than 20 years. He admires the Spartans not only because of his relationship with the MSU staff, but because he sees a program that embodies the toughness and resolve a team can display when everything comes together.

“We both have this philosophy: ‘players play and tough players win,’” Zeigler said.

Izzo, MSU assistant coach Mike Garland and CMU assistant William Eddie were teammates at Northern Michigan University in the 1970s. Garland stopped by a CMU practice in January on his way to scout Trey Zeigler at MPHS.

“There’s a camaraderie and companionship that we have with their staff,” Zeigler said.

Making his pitch

Izzo recruited Zeigler’s brother Derrick when he was an assistant at Michigan State in the early 1990s. Derrick Zeigler attended Cleveland State instead.

Now, Izzo is after Zeigler’s son – Michigan’s top guard prospect.

Trey Zeigler, a junior at Mount Pleasant High School, has yet to decide where he’s headed. But Ernie Zeigler said MSU’s run in the tournament can only help Izzo’s pitch to any recruit.

“Michigan State is being talked about,” he said. “It definitely bodes well for them when any high school kid, my son or otherwise, is considering you for a possible destination to go to school.”

One more

As Zeigler watched 10 MSU players score Saturday, he couldn’t help but think about his own team.

After all, CMU’s lack of depth has been its Achilles’ Heel during the majority of Zeigler’s three-year tenure.

But there’s something about MSU’s fairy-tale run and unexpected contributions that he can use to inspire his players.

After all, basketball is about a lot more than just talent, as the Spartans have displayed in this tournament.

“There are a lot of components that go into being successful,” Zeigler said. “They play at a level of tenacity that allows them to make up for the talent level. They may not be as highly acclaimed as some of their counterparts are, but when you are committed to a mindset, you’re able to be witnesses to what you can accomplish as a team.”

sports@cm-life.com