Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: Was Nick Ward the best freshman big under Izzo?

By Connor Muldowney

Dec 18, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Nick Ward (44) reacts to a play during the first half of a game against the Northeastern Huskies at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Nick Ward (44) reacts to a play during the first half of a game against the Northeastern Huskies at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Is Nick Ward the best freshman big man to ever play Michigan State basketball in the Tom Izzo era?

Now that the 2016-17 Michigan State basketball season is in the books, it’s time to reflect on the year that was. It wasn’t Tom Izzo’s best season as the Spartans’ head coach, but he may have had the best freshman big man in his career: Nick Ward.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: Projecting starters, bench for 2016-17

Who would have thought at the beginning of the season that we’d be talking about Ward in this regard? Definitely not me nor 90 percent of the fan base, but he flourished as the Spartans’ main big after injuries to Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter.

The real question, however, is where Ward ranks with the former big men under Izzo. Is he the best freshman post player in the Izzo era?

Answer: yes.

Looking back, Izzo has had plenty of solid big men as true freshmen. The first real star was Zach Randolph in 2000-01. He averaged 10.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, but decided to leave Michigan State after just one season. While he had solid numbers, Ward’s top them and he had a bigger impact on games than Randolph did.

In 2002-03, it was Paul Davis who burst onto the scene as a freshman. He averaged 7.8 points and 4.7 rebounds, but developed nicely in the following years. Definitely not the same level as Ward.

Skip ahead to 2006-07, Raymar Morgan opened the eyes of many with his aggressive play in the post and effective scoring as a freshman forward. However, he still didn’t take over games like Ward has.

Draymond Green and Delvon Roe were freshmen in during the 2008-09 season, but neither was truly effective enough to be considered a breakout star. Ward averaged more points than both of them combined as freshmen and he averaged more rebounds than each.

Derrick Nix and Garrick Sherman came in with the following class, but again, neither was effective right away. Adreian Payne was the 2010-11 year, but he was considered a bust right away before molding into an all-around star by his senior season.

Matt Costello was in 2012-13, but Mr. Basketball struggled through his first couple of seasons before becoming the all-time leading shot-blocker at Michigan State.

Lastly, it was Deyonta Davis who really challenged Randolph and Morgan as Izzo’s best freshman big, but he ultimately didn’t dominate with his slight frame. He would have flourished if he had stayed for his sophomore season, but he was a one-and-done.

Related Story: MSU Basketball: End of season report card for 2016-17

In conclusion, the answer is quite clear. Yes, Ward has been the best freshman big man in the Izzo era, and it hasn’t exactly been close. If he continues to progress at this rate, he could be the best big to ever player for Izzo.

Home/Spartans Basketball