How the 2015 Michigan State Spartans Have Developed Great Team Chemistry

On Tuesday, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo described the factors that have driven the Spartans to the Final Four. They may not be a “smashmouth” defensive team, he said, but they’re mentally tough. They may not be the most athletic either, but they’re playing their best ball of the season.

One could even argue, given their circumstances, that the Spartans are playing as well or better than Wisconsin, Kentucky and Duke—the other three participants during this weekend's national semifinals in Indianapolis.

But there is more to this year’s team, something more than just simple wins and losses, and something much greater than the standard growth and maturation process most teams go through during March Madness runs.

It goes much deeper, Izzo said, right down to the very core of what makes all of his players human—right down to their true composition.

They truly love each other; that much is clear. And it touches Izzo; that's clear, too. 

Whether it’s senior Travis Trice mentoring Lourawls “Tum-Tum” Nairn, a freshman who temporarily stole Trice’s job as starting point guard, or it’s senior Branden Dawson encouraging Marvin Clark, a freshman forward who’s coming into his own, Izzo sees a strong brotherhood, not just one of the four remaining teams still standing.

“I keep reminding those freshmen every day: You better appreciate those guys,” Izzo said. “You better appreciate them a lot, because not everyone does this. That was one of the things that separated this year’s team from top to bottom; there is a true love for one another. And that is a powerful, powerful thing.

“So I’m appreciative of those upperclassmen. You could even go as far as [junior Matt] Costello. He was starting early, and then I started [sophomore Gavin] Schilling—some of it was because of foul trouble and different things…”

The seniors and juniors risked their own minutes for the sake of bettering the team, Izzo said. It wasn’t easy for Costello to make way for Schilling, but they’ve grown together as an effective tandem. The same could be said for Trice and Nairn. Together, they’ve performed as one of the tournament’s best backcourts.

“They kind of helped out the people that are even threatening their own jobs,” Izzo said of Trice and Costello. “I’m just not sure in our society, [during] this day and age, that’s normal.

“But for this team, it’s normal. And it’s probably what’s taken a decent-to-good basketball team…and on Saturday night, we’re going to play in the greatest weekend of sports in our country.

“So yeah, I’m pretty proud of them. Pretty excited about it.”

On Saturday, Michigan State, which has won 12 of its past 15 games, will play Duke for a shot at it all versus either Kentucky or Wisconsin. Izzo is 1-8 versus Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski, but he likes his team’s chances. He says the Spartans have proved that heart and true, meaningful bonds—not necessarily pure talent—go a long way in March and in the Final Four. 

And he should know. This will be Izzo's seventh trip to the Final Four as a head coach.

Dawson's Influence

Heather Ainsworth/Associated Press

Four years ago, Dawson was a first-year kid trying to carve a reputation. Today, he’s one of Izzo’s most athletic forwards ever, known for great rebounding and defense. But he’s also gaining steam as a leader, which is something Izzo didn’t see coming when he recruited Dawson out of Lew Wallace High in Gary, Indiana.

Now a mentor instead of a student, Dawson doesn’t mind being the wise veteran. He had a few good examples when he was an underclassmen, so he’s passing on that wisdom to the younger members of the program.

Attitudes like Dawson’s have helped define what it is to be a Spartans senior.

“That relationship has been great,” Dawson said of his and Trice’s mentoring roles. “Me and Travis, coming in our freshman year, guys led us. Draymond Green, Keith Appling and, you know, Derrick Nix, those guys really took us under their wing. So, just coming in, like I said, a lot of guys, older guys, look at it as, ‘Hey, I’m not helping him or anything.’

“But these guys are our younger brothers, and we’re doing it because we love them, we love this team and we know that they’re going to be special in a few more years.”

As is the case with most freshmen, it took Clark time to get comfortable. But not too long, actually, reports Dawson. He says Clark's been sharp for most of the year and has arrived to the point where he needs very little supervision.

The rest will come with experience, just like it did for Dawson and Trice.

Looking back, Clark says this season has been ideal for shaping a college career. Having “big brothers” such as Dawson and Trice has made the transition easier to manage.

“They’re veterans, man,” Clark said. “They’ve been through this for four years. You know, if they didn’t love us and see potential in us, I don’t think they would take the time to help us out so much.”

Freshmen can’t have cars at Michigan State, so that makes getting around its enormous campus difficult, especially for an out-of-stater who isn’t familiar with East Lansing. But Clark never worries about transportation.

He has Uber Dawson and Uber Trice.

“They’ll either take us somewhere or let us use their car without a question,” Clark said. “That’s just something that’s very, very valuable. You never know what’s going to happen, you never know what you’re going to need as a freshman without a car.

“They also take us out to eat with them sometimes, stuff like that. That comes into the ‘big brother-little brother’ stuff.”

As taxis and car-loaners, Dawson and Trice provide a worthy service. But they ask for nothing in return—not even a few dollars for gas. Gestures like that really make Dawson and Trice more than teammates. Because of that, Clark has grown close to each of them, especially his "big bro" Dawson. 

“That’s the thing,” Clark laughed. “That’s why I love it here, man. It has family values, family atmosphere. I love it.”

Guard Your Brother

Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press

During stretches of the season, Nairn was actually the ideal point guard for the Spartans—not Trice. As a freshman, Nairn didn’t know what to expect from Trice. Would the senior turn a cold shoulder? Would he distance himself?

Luckily, Nairn says Trice had no problem with the role change.

That goes back to the “separation” Izzo referred to when characterizing his team.

“It’s crazy how everything worked out this year with me taking over the starting point guard [position] when he was coming off the bench,” Nairn said. “He was my roommate—he never felt any negativity towards me. He was the same person all the time.”

Working together as one, Trice and Nairn have played major roles during the past four victories. With his elevated defense, Nairn has become quite important to the rotation. As for Trice, he’s played as well as anyone during the past six weeks.

He’s certainly been a star during the tournament, averaging 19.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists throughout the past four games.

“I’m learning a lot from him, how he handles everything, not letting it get to his head,” Nairn said. “[But for] how good he’s been playing the last 15 games, he’s been the same person.

“He’s just telling me to not take it for granted because it goes by fast. I’m just glad that I was part of him get to his ultimate goal [by pushing him].”

An “amazing person” outside the Breslin Center, Trice has done more than groom Nairn on the court. He’s helped him adapt to college life. It’s been a passing of the torch, so to speak.

“Travis, he’s a guy that I feel that he cares so much about people way more than himself,” said Nairn, who added that he wouldn’t have “transformed into the player I did” without help from Trice.

Little things, such as forking over the last Gatorade or slice of pizza, have defined Nairn and Trice’s relationship. But one act really impressed Nairn, a Kansan via the Bahamas who’s getting used to the cold Michigan weather.

“He had this nice jacket on, and I was like, ‘Man, that jacket looks kind of small for you. I need that,'" said Nairn, who, at 5’9” and 165 pounds, is slightly smaller than Trice. “You know, he set up to where somebody, a random person, came and gave me the same jacket. [Travis] was like, ‘Can you give that to Tum for me?’ Stuff like that is what makes Travis special, man."

For Trice, leading is a natural, built-in instinct. The oldest of his siblings, Trice knows the value of setting the example. He sees a bright future ahead for Nairn, who is “pure comedy” on the road.

The ball will be in good hands next season. Nairn has passed MSU PG 101.

“I’ve just tried to prepare him in every way,” Trice said. “Growing up, my mom and dad taught me, ‘Your job as the oldest, or having younger brothers and sisters, is try to help them be better than you were and try to help them not make the same mistakes as you.'

“That’s something that Branden and I have both carried on—just trying to help them out so they don’t go through some of the same things we might have had to go through. That’s what family does. We want to keep this tradition going. We want to keep Spartans basketball where it’s at and take it to another level.”

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan State Spartans basketball writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer via press conference, press release or other media availability.