Michigan State continues to mourn as on-campus sports return
The men’s tennis team played in the morning’s first home sporting event since the university canceled all scheduled on-campus competitions during the week. The women’s basketball team hosted the second event of the day at 3:00 p.m. at No. 8 Maryland.
“We’ve talked about how this is an opportunity to show strength and it’s an opportunity to show unity and it’s an opportunity to show that love conquers all, that evil doesn’t win,” said Dean Lockwood , Michigan State Acting Coach. “This was an opportunity to make a statement about our team and our program, [and] about our university and to reflect on this – to help our community heal, to help our campus heal. … I think it’s a platform that our players have embraced.”
Despite a scenic afternoon with clear skies, few people were out and the area was quiet. The Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, two minutes from the Breslin Center basketball arena, had three flags in front of it – Michigan State, the state of Michigan and the United States – halfway up. A somber mood reigned at the Breslin Center as everyone went about their business before the game. The Michigan State players performed their stretches and warm-ups in an artisanal manner with few smiles and little chatter. About 45 minutes before the game, the Spartans huddled but calmly put their paces through.
The Spartans wore white T-shirts with “Spartan Strong” written in green. Maryland players, coaches and staff wore orange and green ribbons—orange to raise awareness of gun violence, green for the state of Michigan.
The pre-game activities included two moments of remembrance. Michigan State’s in-game entertainment director gave a short speech thanking the crowd that came out, ending with, “Together we are Spartan Strong, forever.” There was a minute’s silence before the national anthem. The PA announcer thanked first responders as Spartans players stood side by side, arms crossed, most staring straight ahead. Several players could be seen wiping their eyes, and one asked the other clearly, “Are you okay?”
The players whispered in each other’s ears during the national anthem; Junior Julia Ayrault said they usually pass on a motivational message.
“Today it was ‘For her,'” Ayrault said. “I think that speaks for itself. It’s very to the point, and I think it meant a lot to all of us. Obviously a lot of emotions. Just be there for each other. I gave [teammate Taiyier Parks] a hug and she had a lot of tears and stuff, but I know that I also needed that hug more than anything. So I’m just glad we have each other.”
Michigan State had returned to practice Thursday and players had the opportunity to attend. Sophomore center Brooklyn Rewers opted not to play on Saturday. Maryland overcame a slow start to prevail 66-61.