How ‘The Shove’ to protect ‘The Kiss’ defines Michigan State basketball tenacity, loyalty

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EAST LANSING — Tom Izzo remembered it. Jason Richardson heard enough about it. Big Ten Network devoted an hour documentary to telling the story of it: Michigan State basketball’s center-court kiss and the genesis behind Shawn Respert’s legendary smooch 30 years ago and Mateen Cleaves’ revival in 2000 that made it an annual event.

On Sunday, with a season sweep over rival Michigan secured, Tre Holloman delivered perhaps the third-most iconic kiss in the history of the Spartans’ senior tradition. Except he’s a junior. And it started with a push.

Holloman shoved two Wolverines standing on the midcourt logo and disrupting the tradition in the waning seconds of No. 7 MSU’s 79-62 victory at Breslin Center, which closed out the Spartans’ outright Big Ten regular-season championship. The gesture embodied everything Izzo built his program on — toughness, togetherness, loyalty.

“You don’t stand on that court when the seniors are coming out. And in that moment,” said Richardson, the former MSU and NBA great, and the father of Spartan freshman Jase, during the postgame celebration. “What Tre did is what Michigan State basketball is.”

Michigan State guard Tre Holloman (5), left, argues with Michigan guard Phat Phat Brooks (8), right, during the second half at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Sunday, March 9, 2025.

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Holloman, who had a career-high 20 points, has increasingly proven to be the fiery leader Izzo has looked for over the past few seasons. From the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Minneapolis native barking in the face of Purdue’s 7-4 Zach Edey at last year’s Big Ten tournament in his hometown, to getting into a verbal spat with Iowa’s Brock Harding in Thursday’s comeback at Iowa, Holloman has shown he won’t back down from a challenge.

The latest came with 37.2 seconds left Sunday and the Spartans leading, 79-60.

Holloman delivered an…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/shove-protect-kiss-defines-michigan-000720719.html

Author : Lansing State Journal

Publish date : 2025-03-10 00:07:00

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