The Michigan State Spartans mens basketball program has been arguably the most consistently successful team in college basketball over the past 10 years behind coach Tom Izzo, who has guided his squad to 13 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including eight Sweet 16’s, four Final 4’s, and 1 National Championship in 2000. So why would a program rich in tradition and success decide that now is the time to change uniform styles?
The obvious answer is to probably keep up with the Joneses since more than 25 collegiate teams have undergone uniform changes thanks to Nike in the past year including Texas, Connecticut, and even the mighty Kentucky Wildcats. The Spartans even recently made plans to alter it’s Spartan head logo, but were forced to scrap the changes due to overwhelming pressure from fans, students, and alumni to keep the older version.
Initial reaction to the minor changes in the new uniforms has also been luke warm even though the only changes are a slightly darker green color and the name “Spartans” emblazoned across the chest with a gold trim, instead of the usual “State,” first made famous by Magic Johnson in the ’79 NCAA Championship Game.
A statement from Michigan state athletic director Mark Hollis reveals a deeper reason for all of the changes:
“We have been an athletics program of different greens, logos, word-marks and uniform quality.” “There has been a lack of consistency with regard to our brand. This inconsistency was a result both of using multiple suppliers for our apparel and of uniform decisions being made without a department-wide focus.”
Check out the new Michigan State uniforms:
Team leaders Kalin Lucas and Durell Summers seem less than thrilled to be the sacrificial models of what will be their new attire for next season. Fans across the country should get used to the new uniforms since State is again loaded, and will probably be featured weekly on ESPN telecasts, as they stand a good chance at making another run at the Final Four in 2011.
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own site, Hoops Haven.
