Saturday, April 01, 2000
Michigan St., Granger get tough
Game of 'war' put Spartans on rebound
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
INDIANAPOLIS — When Michigan State's A.J. Granger said goodbye to Columbus after the final trip he would make to Ohio State, he departed the city with one rebound to show for 33 minutes of basketball against the Buckeyes.
It disturbed Tom Izzo to see his Spartans lose to OSU, which figured to challenge his team for the Big Ten championship, but it was worse that they lost playing soft. It was time for action.
When the Michigan State players arrived for practice the following day, they discovered things would be a little different that afternoon. Izzo's managers had raided the football equipment room and emerged with stacks of helmets and shoulder pads. Izzo asked several of the Spartans, most notably Granger, to put on the pads and engaged them in a drill called “War.” It consists of a bunch of players in a no-rules scramble for rebounds, which, if you think about it, is not entirely different from playing Wisconsin.
“I think that game provided the opportunity that made me realize I wasn't playing as hard or as well as I could be playing,” Granger said. “I think players need wake-up calls at certain points.
“I think every player goes through a lull, and I think I was in a lull at that point in the season. I sat down with Coach Izzo, and he kind of laid it out on the table, what I needed to do, what he expected of me. I think we got a lot accomplished after that game. It really helped me for the rest of the season.”
A native of Findlay, Ohio, Granger lost his starting job for four games following the Ohio State defeat, but since returning to the lineup he has averaged 6.2 rebounds and scored in double figures nine times in 16 games. In a visit to Wisconsin, Michigan State's opponent at the RCA Dome in the first of today's NCAA Tournament semifinals, he scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
“One thing I like about A.J. is that he's gotten better every year,” said Spartans shooting guard Morris Peterson. “I think A.J. has really done a great job this year of becoming more of a leader and stepping up and making big plays for us.”
For a 6-foot-10 power forward, Granger is a surprisingly productive perimeter shooter. It is his greatest value as a player, and his curse. A big man who shoots well can tend to misplace his priorities.
In the Spartans' two victories at the Midwest Regional in Auburn Hills, Mich., they relied on Granger for several key shots, and he was 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Granger has averaged 11.5 points and .583 shooting from long range in the past two NCAA Tournaments.
His scoring and defense were so vital in the finals victory over Iowa State that he escaped significant criticism for another reboundless game.
“He's our version of, you know, Reggie Jackson. A.J. seems to have been "Mr. March,'” Izzo said. “A.J. actually started playing well midway through the year. He's a very good player that I think is just starting to realize he could be a very, very good player.”
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