EAST LANSING — Back in 2017, Tom Izzo and Mark Fox worked together to bring an exhibition game between Michigan State basketball and Georgia to Grand Rapids.
It required an NCAA waiver, along with a purpose – a charity event to raise money for hurricane relief efforts in the US Southeast home of the Bulldogs and the Bahamas, the home of then-Spartans point guard Tum Tum Nairn.
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A sellout crowd of more than 10,000 at Van Andel Arena helped raise nearly $350,000. It was such a success that MSU held another charity exhibition against Tennessee in 2023 at Breslin Center.
A few years later, so much has changed.
Michigan State’s head coach Tom Izzo, left, talks with Bowling Green’s associate head coach and former MSU basketball player Tum Tum Nairn Jr. before the game on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, Breslin Center in East Lansing.
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No longer do college hoops programs need waivers for exhibitions, with January’s approval from the NCAA of two Division I exhibition games per season. Izzo, long a proponent of playing in-state Division II programs − as he did in a road game last year at his alma mater, Northern Michigan − scheduled two D-I exhibitions to open the Spartans’ season.
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As it happens, that rule change brings Nairn back to Breslin Center as associate head coach of Bowling Green for an exhibition against MSU on Thursday, Oct. 23 (7:30 p.m., BTN+). The Spartans then head to Hartford, Connecticut, on Tuesday to face fellow power UConn in their second exhibition before the games begin to count Nov. 3 at home against Colgate.
“Those are great for exhibition,” Izzo said after practice Tuesday, Oct. 21. “I do miss two things. Right away, (Division I exhibitions) get competitive, and instead of being able to play a ton of players, you get competitive yourself. And being a Division II guy, I feel for those guys that used to be able to come to Breslin or Ann Arbor or Indiana or Purdue and play in front of 10-15,000 people. That does bother me a little bit, to be honest.”
Last year, the Spartans took a summer trip to Spain and played three games against international competition – the NCAA permits programs to take overseas trips once every five years. That became both a bonding experience and critical for building on-court rapport that helped MSU go 30-7, win Izzo’s record-tying 11th Big Ten regular-season title (by three games) and advance to his 11th Elite Eight appearance in 30 seasons.
“We had that Spain trip last year that really kind of showed us this is a feel and a vibe for our team, and we can work with that,” senior Jaxon Kohler said Tuesday. “But since we didn’t have that (this year), we’ve had a lot more scrimmage days here. And it’s up to us veterans that we let the freshmen and transfers, the younger guys, know that in high-stress situations that you need to do this, this, this. Coach may be a little into the moment, but you need to look for us to pick you back up, to make sure you stay calm.
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“Don’t let the crowd – even if it’s home or away – get to you. Don’t overthink this, don’t overdo anything, just play.”
Michigan State forward Jaxson Kohler takes a shot during the first half against Iowa forward Filip Rebraca at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Feb. 25, 2023 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Along the way, MSU withstood a regular-season test from Bowling Green at Breslin on Nov. 16, pulling away for an 86-72 victory. The Falcons finished 14-18 overall and 8-10 in the Mid-American Conference. Nairn, who played for Izzo from 2014-18 and started on his 2015 Final Four team, is in his third season on Fowler native Todd Simon’s staff at BG.
“I was with Tum this weekend recruiting in Kansas City,” Izzo said. “I told him I loved him, gave him a little kiss on the head and said, ‘That’s it now until after the game.’”
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Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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For (exhibition) openers: Falcons
Matchup: Michigan State (30-7 in 2024-25) vs. Bowling Green (14-18), exhibition.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23; Breslin Center, East Lansing.
TV/radio: B1G+ (streaming only); WJR-AM (760).
Regular-season opener: Colgate; 7 p.m. Nov. 3; Breslin; BTN+.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball gets reunion with old pal Tum Tum Nairn
