Jay Williams responds to comments on Michigan State, Gabe Brown

ESPN analyst Jay Williams became a hot topic on Twitter on Saturday when he criticized Michigan State star Gabe Brown and the rest of the Spartans for dancing before their game against Illinois. Shortly after halftime, he responded.

Williams called out Brown and Michigan State for dancing and being loose before a huge Big Ten showdown with Illinois at the Breslin Center. His comments came with more than four minutes left in the first half, before Michigan State took a 34-22 deficit into halftime.

After the break, he attempted to clear the air.

“I want to take a second here to address people on Twitter because I think it’s worth saying,” Williams said. “I am all about players having fun before games. Trust [me] and believe that. I actually like Gabe Brown as a player. But when you’re 9-5 in the league and you’ve lost your last [three] out of [four], I want to see that energy pregame translate to the energy on the floor. And there needs to be a sense of urgency. He was in foul trouble, and I just want to see that type of preparation because the way you prepare is the way you play the game.

“Maybe it’s because I spent some time with Kobe Bryant growing up. He was a mentor of mine, God rest his soul, but that’s the type of energy I approach this game with. So if you want to come at me, please, continue to bring it. Please continue to bring it. Because when Gabe Brown is locked in, he’s one heck of a player. And I want to see that Gabe Brown play every time.”

Jay Williams: ‘There has to be a war-like mentality’ for Michigan State

It’s been a rough go for Michigan State lately. The Spartans lost three of their last four games entering a big Saturday showdown against Illinois, and fans are left wondering what’s gone wrong.

ESPN analyst Jay Williams had some thoughts, and pointed to a pregame video of leading scorer Gabe Brown and the rest of the Spartans dancing. Williams, who played at Duke for Mike Krzyzewski, specifically asked about the on-court mentality and how that translates to the product on the court.

“I’m going to give our audience something to pay attention to,” Williams said. “When I spoke with Tom Izzo yesterday, he said the energy they’re coming into this game with and what their mentality is. When I think about Michigan State basketball, I think about people that want to attack. There’s grittiness, there’s a grind, there’s a blue-collar mentality. And I know that people have fun before games. This is Gabe Brown, this is your senior, this is your leader. And that’s before the game, him running around [and] joking. My thing is there has to be a war-like mentality.”