EAST LANSING – It can take while to trust what you see on a basketball court — to ignore out-of-date recruiting analysis or be comfortable making lofty comparisons without worrying that you’re overreacting to the moment and player in front of you.
Michigan State freshman Nick Ward has brought me face-to-face with these trust issues. Big men with bruising frames, want-the-ball personalities, soft hands and quick feet don’t exist very often — or for very long — in college basketball.
Ward was supposed to be a long-term college player. He’s barely a top-50 recruit. He’s only 6-foot-8, plays mostly around the basket and doesn’t get very high above the rim.