Come out and be a part of Spartan Fastbreak Live where former Spartan David Thomas and Sam Hosey will be taping this week's Spartan Fastbreak in front of a live studio audience this Wednesday at Reno's West, 7pm.

This week's featured guests are former Spartan Flintstones Kelvin Torbert and Tim Bograkos!

Also appearing will be Dan Kilbridge of Spartan Tailgate along with former Spartan and Sexton coach Carlton Valentine and Lansing Eastern head coach Rod Watts. Sexton (15-1) and Eastern (15-2) are both ranked No. 1 in this week's poll in Classes B and A, respectively.

This week on Spartan Fastbreak David Thomas and I had special guest Mike Vorkapich on the show. "Vork," as he is best known and regarded as one of the best in his field in the country, is the assistant Strength Coach at MSU under Ken Mannie.

On his visit to the show this week, Mike shared some of the Men's Basketball all-time bests in the Izzo tenure. But not scoring, rebounding and such, Vork measures the athletic numbers that we see in NBA combines, such as vertical leap and strength.

Vork shared some interesting -- and probably surprising -- information such as Adreian Payne breaking the all-time standing vertical mark set by Kelvin Torbert last summer. But here it is, the MSU Men's All-Time Best List (in the Izzo tenure approx after 1999).

NO SERIOUSLY, HOW

GOOD IS THIS TEAM?

Michigan State is now 15-2 overall, 4-0 and alone in first place in the Big Ten after embarrassing Iowa 95-61 (plus another Ohio State loss), and the Spartans still aren't playing their best ball according to their coach.

"I keep feeling like I'm downgrading us, I'm really not," Izzo said in the postgame presser. "I just feel we have so much more to learn."

And then in the lockerroom Derrick Nix offered up this gem.

"I'm not trying to be cocky or anything like that, but I just feel like this team is going to win the Big Ten championship."

SEXTON FACES PERSHING IN THE STATE'S

GAME OF THE YEAR

LANSING, MI – Juice Nation presents Battle at the Capital V, the fifth annual installment of the state’s premier basketball showcase. This year’s event, featuring three contests with teams from Detroit against teams from Lansing, will take place at the legendary Don Johnson Fieldhouse at Lansing Eastern High School on Saturday, January 14, with the first game tipping off at 4:00pm. Tickets are $10 for general admission seating.

MSU, NARDUZZI WEIGHING OPTIONS

Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi has a decision to make. It’s a big one and I don’t blame him if he takes a little time to do it. It is well documented that Pat Narduzzi is not one of the higher-paid assistants in the Big Ten. His base salary in 2009 was just $229,500. Compared to U-M coordinator Greg Mattison’s salary that isn’t much.

SPARTANS BREAK TWO DECADE-LONG

STREAKS IN 24 HOURS

Michigan State is the feel-good story of the last 24 hours. I interviewed former MSU athletic director Clarence Underwood tonight (it will air this weekend on Spartan Huddle and on Spartan Fastbreak at 11am on TV-6) and he made the bold declaration that both MSU football and basketball are elite.

Whether or not you agree with him, you have to admit that the last 24 hours have a breath of fresh air for Michigan State athletics and its national image.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SPECIAL

I used a holiday trip to the Frankenmuth area as an excuse to get a look at 6'10” Michigan State commitment and favorite for 2012 Mr. Basketball Matt Costello (or co-favorite, alongside MSU commit and Sexton star Denzel Valentine) as his Bay City Western Warriors visited the Frankenmuth Eagles. Frankenmuth came into the game unbeaten but BCW would represent their stiffest test of the young season by far. Western was a Class A semi-finalist last season and returns not only Matt Costello but his twin brother John, who isn't nearly the talent his twin is but is a good, physical high school player in his own right.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SPECIAL

This year's Detroit area high school holiday hoop schedule kicked off on Friday night as usual at Romulus High School, where the Eagles hosted four games. I didn't see the first two (Consortium v Lansing Summit Christian and Southfield Christian v Belleville) but did catch the last two contests of the evening, Ann Arbor Skyline v Chandler Park and Romulus v Detroit Community.

In the first of these games, Chandler Park held a double digit lead for much of the game before withstanding a furious late rally by Skyline to eek out a 51-49 victory. In all honesty, this was a pretty ugly affair. Neither team shot particularly well, there were a ton of turnovers, and very few highlight reel level plays, something you tend to expect in Holiday Classic games, because the matchups usually feature higher level teams.

“It was fun to get on guys and not have them hang their head and all that stuff.”

-- Tom Izzo

EAST LANSING – Michigan State defeated Ferris State 85-58 in an exhibition game Sunday afternoon. It was the “new look” Spartans, led by freshman stud Branden Dawson, who got a chance to give everybody a glimpse of their skill.

MSU gradually pulled away from Ferris State, leading at halftime 42-29 and holding a double-digit lead for most of the game.

I was definitely drawn to Izzo’s quote that it was fun to get on guys and not have them hang their heads. That statement is very telling on a number of fronts, in my opinion.

It says that this year’s team is more coachable than last year’s group (and probably the year before, too) but Izzo seemed pretty relaxed and unafraid to speak frankly about his team.

I give Izzo and the team credit for not airing the team’s dirty laundry last season. When things go bad we often see a lot of infighting and we didn’t see much of that. No, the play wasn’t very good at times last year, but we never saw guys say a lot publically. That speaks to a disciplined, cohesive program.

Press Release

Andrew Maxwell's 35-yard TD pass to Garrett Celek off a fake field goal gives the offense a 61-55 victory.



EAST LANSING, Mich. - Under partly cloudy skies and temperatures near 50, fifth-year Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio sent his team through a 123-play "controlled" scrimmage in Spartan Stadium on
Thursday, April 21, as the Spartans completed their 12th of 15 allotted spring practices. Utilizing a modified scoring system, the offense reclaimed the Green (home) jerseys by winning the second spring scrimmage, 61-55, as quarterback Andrew Maxwell (6-3, 208, So.) threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to tight end Garrett Celek (6-5, 247, Sr.-5) off a fake field goal on the final play.

The scrimmage format provided the defense with 18 different scoring opportunities, while the offense had 11 ways to put points on the scoreboard, including the traditional touchdown and field goal.