Got this idea to dig up Draymond Green’s college glory days at Michigan State after watching some old highlights yesterday. You know how it is – one clip leads to another, and boom, you’re falling down the rabbit hole.
Starting the Research
Fired up the laptop first thing this morning. Searched things like “Draymond Green Michigan State” and “MSU basketball early 2010s.” Man, finding specific stuff was tougher than I thought. Lots of NBA stuff, not so much college. Clicked through pages and pages. Felt like finding a needle in a haystack.
Stumbled across this old MSU fan forum thread from like 2013. Goldmine! People were recalling key games he played back then. Bookmarked that immediately.
Remembering the Key Moments
Based on that thread and some shaky YouTube footage I eventually found, a few big moments stood out:
- The Defense Switch Up: Remember folks talking about Izzo straight up telling Green during a timeout in a tight game against, I think, Ohio State? “Guard their big guy.” Dude was giving up inches but locked him DOWN. That hustle… pure Draymond before anyone knew.
- The Triple-Double Machine: Kept seeing references to him racking up triple-doubles. Dug deeper. Found stats – he did it THREE times! Crazy for a college forward back then. One game against Penn State popped up a lot – points, rebounds, assists, just did everything.
- The Tournament Heart: Everyone mentioned the 2012 tourney run. Hurt his knee, right? Saw clips of him limping bad against LIU Brooklyn in the first round. But then? Suited up against Saint Louis. Played limited minutes but you could see him yelling, coaching guys up from the bench. Pure leader stuff.
Putting the Pieces Together
Scribbled notes like crazy on my legal pad. Tried to connect the dots: what made college Draymond tick? Wasn’t the main scorer like on the Warriors later. Back then it was:
- Doing the Garbage Work: Rebounding battles, setting those bone-jarring screens, diving for loose balls. The engine room.
- Izzo’s Brain Extension: You could see him directing traffic on defense in the footage. Calling out switches, pointing guys where to go. Basically a coach on the court even back then.
- Emotional Sparkplug: Found some clips where he got T’d up. Yeah, the fire was always there! But the team fed off that intensity, especially when games got gritty.
Why It Matters Now
Sitting back after lunch, it clicked. Those college years? That’s where he built his DNA. The stuff that made him a star despite not being a traditional superstar scorer.
Izzo didn’t just build a basketball player at MSU; he molded that specific role – the glue guy, the defensive quarterback, the emotional core. Seeing those college moments shows the blueprint for the Dray we know in Golden State. The intensity, the smarts, the willingness to do whatever dirty work it takes – straight outta East Lansing.
Made me appreciate his whole journey a lot more. Those MSU days weren’t just a pit stop; they were the foundation. Pretty wild to see it all laid out.
