absence

Four Michigan State players who could step up in Nick Ward's absence

Nick Ward and his Michigan State teammates discuss Ward's injured left hand, and the impact it will have on the 10th-ranked Spartans, Feb. 18, 2019. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING — It might not be an optimal way for an opportunity, but Nick Ward’s injury opens up 23 minutes a game for Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo to fill.

That means Xavier Tillman will get his shot to start. And a number of younger Spartans now have a chance to work their way into more playing time as No. 10 MSU enters the stretch run — and possibly the rest of the season — without their star forward.

“It will be interesting to see who handles the added opportunity they get,” Izzo said Monday, about 16 hours after Ward underwent surgery on his left hand that will sideline the junior indefinitely. “We’ve got some guys that are going to get an added opportunity. They all beg for it. They all want it. Mommies and daddies want it, grandmas and grandpas want it, the players want it.

“Guess what? They got it. And we’re going to try to get them as ready as we can for the game Wednesday night and see where that takes us.”

Xavier Tillman grabs a rebound over Ohio State's Andre Wesson during the first half of MSU's 62-44 win Sunday. (Photo11: Mike Carter USA TODAY Sports)

The Spartans (21-5, 12-3 Big Ten) host Rutgers, a team that features a number of big post players, including 7-foot center Shaquille Doorson. MSU beat the Scarlet Knights, 78-67, on Nov. 30 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Ward scored 20 points with five rebounds in that game.

Without 6-foot-9 Ward, Izzo expects to start Tillman, who is averaging 8.3 points and 6.9 points rebounds predominantly as MSU's sixth man in a post rotation with Ward and senior Kenny Goins.

“This kid, he’s prepared himself the right way to be able to step in,” Izzo said of Tillman. “He’s the one guy that I feel comfortable that he’s gonna step in and do the things that he needs to do.”

Izzo gave Tillman his first career start at Illinois on Feb. 5, when Ward was in a bit of a slump, and the 6-8, 245-pound sophomore responded with a career-best 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the loss. Tillman had 11 points and eight rebounds over 30 minutes in the first meeting with Rutgers.

[ Nick Ward's injury hurts the Spartans. But they can overcome it ]

Tillman is averaging 21.5 minutes a game and guessed he might end up playing 25-27 a night with Ward out.

“Maybe even more than that. I’m not really sure, they haven’t really told me as far as the exact amount I’m gonna get,” Tillman said after practice Monday. “But I know I’ll play a lot more.”

However, Izzo added that Ward “won’t be replaced by one guy, it’ll be a group because the Spartans are “gonna have to throw some size in there.”

“They’re probably all gonna play,” Izzo said. “But how much? I don’t have a crystal ball. I don’t know yet.”

Here is a look at the three players who could expand the rotation in hope of replacing Ward’s 15.1 points and 6.7 rebounds a game:

Thomas Kithier

Thomas Kithier rebounds against Ohio State. (Photo11: Rey Del Rio, Getty Images)

The 6-8, 225-pound freshman has become an emergency option for Izzo in recent weeks since an energy-filled 4-minute stint against Maryland in which he scored four points and grabbed two rebounds.

“I just gotta try to help the team out as much as I can,” Kithier said Monday. “I mean, I’m not gonna be as good as Nick with the stuff he does. … All of us, I think it starts out first with rebounding the ball. We got other dudes that can score the ball – Quaido (Matt McQuaid), Cassius (Winston), X and Kenny. We’re not really about scoring, we’re worried about how we’re gonna play on the defensive end.”

Kithier, who sat out his senior year of high school amid a much-publicized court case about his eligibility, is averaging 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 20 games this season.

However, Kithier has averaged 8.6 minutes in playing in five of MSU’s last seven games. He scored a layup and grabbed three rebounds in 10 minutes against Ohio State on Sunday with Ward on the bench injured.

“He can run the court really well, and I think he can set great screens. … He has proven every time we put him in, for a lack of practice time with that group, he’s answered the bell,” Izzo said. “And God, can’t ask more than that of him. If he doesn’t get nervous this week knowing he’s gonna play a little more, I think he’ll do fine.”

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Michigan State's Marcus Bingham Jr. shoots against Minnesota on Feb. 9. (Photo11: Mike Carter, USA TODAY Sports)

The 6-11, 215-pound freshman possesses a long wingspan to block shots and has shown a deft outside shooting touch in limited minutes. The lithe and lanky Bingham has averaged 1.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 4.4 minutes over his 17 appearances, making 5 of 13 3-pointers.

“(Izzo) has been preaching, ‘Be prepared, be ready for your opportunity,’” Bingham said Monday. “Now that it’s up, he’s really been on me. I’m doing good in practice, and I’m making sure I’m locked in on everything we’re doing. Now that I’m part of the plan, he’s making sure I go hard every time so there will be no worries when I’m on the court.”

His need to add body mass could make playing Ward’s power forward spot a challenge, but Bingham also might sneak in a few minutes as a stretch-forward with Tillman or Kithier on the block.

“And Marcus, he can shoot it, but it’s sporadic,” Izzo said. “But he can block shots. He’s done a much better job. He’s been on the scout team the last three weeks, and he’s actually impressed me some there.”

Braden Burke

Braden Burke talks with reporters at media day Oct. 25, 2018. (Photo11: Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)

The 6-11, 235-pound Burke played his freshman year at Robert Morris in Pittsburgh in 2016-17, averaging 4.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in 32 games for the Colonials — including seven starts — before transferring to MSU and sitting out last season.

Burke, who prepped at Stevensville Lake Shore High, has made eight appearances this season, all in mop-up duty. He has five points and three rebounds.

Defining Burke's role is something Izzo feels he needs to do clearly, as it is for all of his seldom-used big men being pressed into duty.

“If it is Burke,” Izzo said, “it’s gonna be to defend, rebound and set screens.”

Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo speaks to the media on Monday, Feb. 18, 2019, in East Lansing. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press

5 takeaways from Cubs spring training, including Ben Zobrist's excused absence and bulletin board material

Here are five takeaways from the Cubs’ first full-squad workout Monday:

1. Ben Zobrist didn’t attend Monday’s workout.

Ben Zobrist didn’t attend Monday’s first full-squad workout because of an excused absence. The Cubs said he was attending to a personal matter and weren’t sure when he would arrive.

The switch-hitting Zobrist, 37, is coming off one of his best seasons, in which he batted .305 with a .378 on-base percentage in 139 games.

Maddon plans to discuss a schedule with Zobrist, who was sidelined for the first 10 days of 2018 spring training because of lower-back stiffness. Zobrist’s absence will allow Ian Happ and David Bote to get more playing time at second base.

2. Cubs send message to players in response to dire forecast.

The Cubs’ daily practice schedule often includes a slogan or thought of the day that is posted on a clubhouse wall.

Monday’s message was “80-82 5TH PLACE IN THE CENTRAL” — PECOTA.

The line was Fangraphs’ forecast for the Cubs to finish last in the National League Central.

“Yeah, and Bryce Harper is going to the Cubs,” Anthony Rizzo quipped.

Former bench coach Brandon Hyde used to post the slogans, which had a more positive tone.

“I promise you, I’ll forget about (prediction) that early,” Maddon said. “The motivation is that you got eliminated early last year. The motivation is that you really want to prove something from last year.”

3. Expect catcher Willson Contreras to handle another heavy workload.

Willson Contreras could stay on the same routine that led to him starting 123 games and ending up with a major-league-leading 1,109 2/3 innings caught in 2018.

“I really don’t think it was a fatigue factor, although you can argue when a guy doesn’t hit he probably is a little tired,” Maddon said of Contreras’ second-half slump. “His tiredness is more mental than physical.”

Maddon would like to stick with a plan that involves Contreras starting three consecutive games and occasionally a fourt.

Contreras started on four consecutive days five times in 2018.

“Go through each team and see how satisfied they were with their catching,” Maddon said.

Contreras batted .279 in the first half and was selected to the NL All-Star team but batted .200 with a .294 slugging percentage in the second half.

4. Joe Maddon expresses “ton of respect” for Bruce Bochy.

Joe Maddon paid tribute to Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who will retire after the 2019 season.

Maddon’s association with Bochy dates to the early 1990s when Bochy was a manager in the Class A California League and Maddon was a roving instructor in the Angels organization.

“He’s got a great way about him,” Maddon said. “He’s got a really great bedside manner. He really sees things of the moment. You saw that.”

Maddon’s respect for Bochy extends from his managing of the bullpen to accommodating a photo request for his son Joey.

Maddon believes if the Cubs hadn’t rallied in the ninth inning to beat Bochy’s Giants in the fourth game of the 2016 NL Division Series, “it still might be 109 or 110 or 111 (years since Cubs won a World Series title). That game there might have been the biggest game I’ve been involved with since being a Cub.”

5. Wet weather limits Cubs.

The Cubs adjusted to the wet conditions that curtailed some of their first full-squad workout.

They performed some baserunning drills, and hitters tracked pitches before hitting batting practice off the coaches.

“I thought we actually did a lot for the day in spite of the weather,” Maddon said.

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Tom Izzo looking for whole team to step up in Nick Ward’s absence

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State players started their day on Monday with a 7:30 a.m. meeting, during which all of them were issued a challenge.

"Everybody just has to look a little bit harder at what they can do to help the team win," Izzo said.

The challenge came after Spartans forward Nick Ward suffered a hairline fracture in his left, shooting hand during the Spartans' Sunday win over Ohio State, which will sideline him for the foreseeable future.

The injury comes as Michigan State sits tied with Michigan in first place in the Big Ten with five games left on the schedule.

"The margin has shrunk for the errors, but the expectation for victory hasn't changed one iota," Izzo said.

Izzo said he's still unsure exactly when the injury happened, but an X-Ray revealed the fracture soon after the game. Ward underwent surgery later that night.

In terms of a recover timetable, Izzo said he's heard of players with similar injuries being out from anywhere between three and five weeks. The Spartans' regular season ends exactly three weeks from Ward's injury.

While certain players will see more playing time -- starting with Xavier Tillman, who still step into the starting lineup -- Izzo said no one player can make up for everything Ward does. He's looking at players across the board to help make up for Ward's 15 points per game.

"I've asked each guy to upgrade their scoring a point or two, downgrade their turnovers one or two, look at what Nick gave us inside and then what he gave us in other areas," Izzo said.

To make up for his 23 minutes per game, Izzo said he'll be reaching deeper down the bench. He mentioned freshman Thomas Kithier, who played 10 minutes on Sunday when Ward sat the second half, as a player who will likely see a larger role. He also mentioned freshman Marcus Bingham and walk-on Braden Burke as players who could see time in Ward's absence.

Izzo said he isn't ruling out any scenarios but seemed to favor going deeper into the bench for big men as opposed to going with smaller lineups, like with Kenny Goins at center and players like Kyle Ahrens and Aaron Henry moving to power forward.

Ward's injury is the latest bit of adversity for a team that's already lost guard Joshua Langford for the rest of the year and has lost Matt McQuaid and Kyle Ahrens at different points of the year.

But he framed the situation as more of an opportunity for other players to step up.

“We’re going to use the whole damn team and we’re going to have some fun doing it,” Izzo said.