Former Michigan State Spartans Go Back To Inspire Youth

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MSU FootballVisiting your alma mater can be a beautifully nostalgic experience. That’s just how 14 former Michigan State football players felt when they revisited MSU in order to help out with Michigan State’s annual one-day camp for high school seniors. These former Spartans are all currently NFL players, and they enjoyed going back to their alma mater to reminisce and to see how the school has changed.

Former Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton was in awe of the Spartan Stadium’s recently renovated north end complex. Stanton is set to begin his 10th NFL season, so he has been away from his Spartan playing days for quite a while. He even had to introduce himself to some of the younger alums at a donor golf outing, which was arranged by men’s golf head coach Casey Lubahn. The event took place the Country Club of Lansing, and the benefits went to Lubahn’s program.

Drew Stanton, who is now an Arizona Cardinals backup, departed from Michigan State football in 2007, the same year that Mark Dantonio became the head coach. Stanton attributes the upgrades of the facilities largely to the success of the team. The Michigan State Spartans are currently coming off of their second Big Ten championship in three seasons. Stanton emphasized that while he loves the new facilities, what he enjoyed most was the environment at Michigan State.

This is the second year that head coach Mark Dantonio has invited former MSU players who have professional experience to his camp. The players all had positive things to say about the camp and how the campus has changed. Cornerback Trae Waynes was lightly recruited in high school, but thanks to his performance at the senior camp, he was able to move to the top of Michigan State’s wish list. In 2015, Waynes was the No. 1 draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings. The camp is important to Waynes because he didn’t have many offers when he was coming out of high school, and through the camp, Waynes earned his scholarship. Waynes says that alumni coming back to the program is a representation of how much the program meant to them. Dantonio is grateful for this team of ambassadors for his program.

Dantonio expressed his admiration for the success of these former Spartans in the NFL. He was very excited to have them participating in the camp. Dantonio is very proud of their athletic accomplishments, but he is especially proud of the people they are.

Second-year NFL linebacker Taiwan Jones told the young people that MSU prepared him to compete for an NFL roster spot despite being an undrafted free agent. The result? He joined the New York Jets. Jones came back to the camp because he wanted to have a positive impact on the lives of the children.

Tight end Garrett Celek also came back to inspire the high school seniors. Celek has just finished his best NFL season since joining the San Francisco 49ers in 2012 as an undrafted free agent. The message that he wanted to convey to the youth is not the incredible talent that Michigan State is able to attract, but rather what the Spartan coaches can do with the talent that they have on hand.

The experience was beneficial for both the alumni and the high school seniors. The NFL players were able to experience nostalgia at their alma mater while passing life lessons onto young people who look up to them.

Anthony Mantha’s Maturity

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Hockey Puck

Anthony Mantha first became recognizable in the National Hockey League at the young age of 18 years old. It was at that age that he stated he was ready to be drafted into the Detroit Red Wings. Three years later, he finds himself on the rink with the Red Wings. Those three years of preparation were exactly what he needed to mature enough to become a Detroit Red Wing.

The man stepping onto the rink now is an incredible asset to the team. Not only is he a good athlete, and an overall phenomenal hockey player, he is also not afraid to go after the puck. Mantha was put on the ice with this team at an important point in the season, and has already helped the Red Wings celebrate a victory. He is confident in his offensive tactics, and uses his bulky frame to intimidate players on the opposite team as he makes his way down the court.

If he had been let onto the ice with the team when he initially desired, Mantha may not have been the same asset to the team he is today. He was gunning for a roster spot in 2013, but suffered a broken tibia and had to spend a couple of months away from hockey. This was a setback that only made him a stronger player. However, another blow to his ego came when he switched from playing with the juniors to playing against seasoned athletes. He realized, as many do, that the two were starkly different. He found a whole other level of maturity against the older hockey players, and that threw off his confidence a great deal. The public became less convinced that he was worth the investment, for one, and even some executives lost confidence in him.

Thankfully, Mantha was able to overcome this adversity and come out a stronger, more confident hockey player. Instead of giving up, he used the criticism of others to become a more aggressive player and push himself forward.

The Red Wings picked him up in 2013 and have closely watched his performance since then. It took him a little bit of time to fully cultivate his confidence on the rink, but he now goes after the puck with abandon. This is a trait that is common to players who are new on a team, as more time on the rink has team members hesitating due to potential consequences of their actions.

This, of course, does not mean that Mantha has it all figured out. He needs to work on his defensive maneuvers, as well as learn that there are consequences to all of his actions. Some risks may not be worth the entire game. However, I truly believe that this was the right time to let Mantha out on the rink with the Red Wings. He believes in himself, and knows how to train to be a hockey pro and, therefore, is an incredible asset to this already amazing team.

Michigan State Falls to No. 11 in Associated Press Top 25

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A season that started off great for the Michigan State Spartans, is now facing issues as Michigan State men’s basketball team loses back-to-back games. Despite the two losses, the Spartans record (16-3) is still significantly better based on the Associated Press top 25 poll.

The Spartans were number one in the country not too long ago, but, once acquiring two losses from Wisconsin and Iowa, they fell to the No. 11 seed. Losing these two previous games was not only a big deal for the team’s ranking in the Associated Press polls, but for the team’s conference ranking.

Michigan State Spartans, are ranked 7th in the Big Ten Conference with a 3-2 record. They are the only ranked team in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, that aren’t ranked in the top 5 of the Big Ten Conference. You can see the most current results of the Big Ten Conference in this chart.

Chart

It is still too early in the season to determine how the rest of the season will play out for the Michigan State Spartans. They are going to need their star players to step up and play to the best of their abilities when playoffs and March Madness comes around. They still have the opportunity to win a couple of games and get back to that No.1 seed in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

You can check out the standings of the Associated Press Top 25 here.

Standings

The Spartans have another big game coming up against the Maryland Terrapins, who are ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 3 in the Big ten Conference. As you can see, the Terrapins are ranked better than the Spartans in both standings, so the Spartans desperately need this win to stay relevant in their conference and the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

If you’re interested in more information about the Michigan State men’s basketball team, you can check out this link here.