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Michigan State Basketball: Piecing together all-2010s starting five

By Connor Muldowney

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 16: Gary Harris #14 and Adreian Payne #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after the 69-55 win over the Michigan Wolverines during the finals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 16, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 16: Gary Harris #14 and Adreian Payne #5 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after the 69-55 win over the Michigan Wolverines during the finals of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 16, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 30: Adreian Payne #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after a basket in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies during the East Regional Final of the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 30: Adreian Payne #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after a basket in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies during the East Regional Final of the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 30, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Adreian Payne was an absolute fan favorite while he was in East Lansing. While he was an excellent basketball player, he was also known for developing a big brother-little sister relationship with Lacey Holsworth who was a young girl and huge fan of Michigan State who battled cancer at an early age. She passed away shortly after Payne’s senior year.

Payne was one of the most anticipated recruits in the past decade as he came to Michigan State as an uber-athletic five-star center but it seemed as if he was headed the way of bust after his first couple of seasons.

As a freshman, he averaged just 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in nine minutes per game and then he averaged nearly 18 minutes as a sophomore, averaging 7.0 points and 4.2 rebounds.

And then something clicked.

While Payne was a slower learner, the coaching staff got through to him and he returned a level of trust, averaging 10.5 points and 7.6 rebounds as a junior before truly breaking out with 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior before getting drafted in the first round. He was named to the All-Big Ten second team and probably should have been a first-teamer but he got scary-good really fast.

Next. 3 takeaways from blowout of Western Michigan. dark

There’s been a few guys who switched between power forward and center at Michigan State but the one true backup for Payne would have to be Nick Ward who will never get enough love for what he did in three years in East Lansing.

Backup: Nick Ward

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