EAST LANSING – Tom Izzo is well aware of the faction of Michigan State fans who don’t believe Thomas Kithier should start, or even play much, for the Spartans.
The undersized Spartans’ big man isn’t going anywhere, though.
“People who are disappointed: stay disappointed, because he’s going to play,” Izzo said.
Kithier turned in his best game of the season in the Spartans’ 85-76 loss to Wisconsin on Friday.
His eight points and five rebounds both marked career-highs – despite his minutes being limited due to foul trouble.
But as usual, his box score line didn’t indicate everything he did for Michigan State. Izzo praised his screen setting, ball screen defense, defense and other attributes.
“We’ve got bigger problems that we’ve got to solve than Thomas Kithier,” Izzo said. “He did a great, great job today.”
His five shot attempts against the Badgers marked an increase from most games, and not a coincidental one. Izzo said on Friday that Spartans associate coach Dwayne Stephens has pushed internally for Michigan State to run more offense through the low post.
Izzo said he was hesitant to because he didn’t see a strong low-post scorer on the roster. But Michigan State found offense on Friday from Kithier, and some of Joey Hauser’s team-high 27 points came In the post.
The Spartans will likely try to do more of that in upcoming games. And that means Michigan State will be looking to increase Kithier’s role on offense, not decrease it.
“He does a lot of little things, and I think you’re going to start seeing him scoring 10 points per game if we can get it in there to him,” Izzo said. “He’s got a nice little jump hook, he’s got some things he can do, and we’re going to do a better job of that.”
Parents return
There were more than just cardboard cutouts looking down on Michigan State basketball players on Friday.
For the first time this season, family members of Michigan State players were able to attend a Spartans basketball game, after a state order changed last week to allow up to 250 people in the building.
That meant around 40 family members were in attendance for the Michigan State-Wisconsin game. That was a welcome sight for both players and coaches.
“Getting the parents in was frosting on the cake,” Izzo said. “It didn’t quite pull us through, we’ve got to do that job, but it was great to see them.”
A different Trice shines
Included in the spectators was Travis Trice, the former Spartans guard who scored a coveted seat because he was a family member of an opposing team’s player.
Travis’s younger brother, D’Mitrik, stole the show with a 29-point performance for the Badgers.
And the senior earned rave reviews from the opposing bench, as Izzo was kicking himself for not recruiting the younger Trice (although Michigan State made it with a pretty good point guard in that recruiting class in Cassius Winston.)
“He was the difference not just because of the points he scored but the way he did when he calmed his team down,” Izzo said. “He was very efficient and was pretty good defensively.”
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December 26, 2020 at 06:03PM
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Michigan State sticks with Thomas Kithier in starting center role - MLive.com
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