East Lansing — Nick Ward gave himself a failing grade the other day, and that didn’t just pass for progress in his coach’s book.
“That was a big thing,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said Tuesday, pausing for a moment during NCAA Tournament preparations to discuss the growth of his young, impressionable team.
In particular, he talked about the growth of his lone true big man, Ward, the 19-year-old who found himself in the middle of his coach’s crosshairs Saturday after the Spartans bowed out of the Big Ten tournament.
Ward played only 20 minutes in Michigan State’s quarterfinal loss to Minnesota, and afterward the 6-foot-8, 250-pounder didn’t seem to fully grasp why.