Tyson Walker says making Sweet Sixteen 'means everything'

Before he was leading Michigan State to the Sweet Sixteen, Spartans guard Tyson Walker was one of the best ballers in the New York City metro area.

Now, he is returning to his home after Michigan State defeated Marquette in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Walker didn’t mince his words when discussing the opportunity to play some of the biggest games of his life in Madison Square Garden.

“It means everything,” Walker said. “Just growing up, seeing everything, playing at the Garden. It means a lot. Just to make those shots look over see my dad, see how excited he was. That means everything. And I just owe Coach some pizza now. And a cab ride.”

Those last two sentences refer to a tongue-in-cheek agreement head coach Tom Izzo and Walker made about making it to the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re going home. I told him two things. You get me there. I want a cab ride and one of them big slices of pizza. So that’s what Tyson owes me. He can pay for it with his NIL money,” Izzo joked on the CBS broadcast after the game.

Walker attended Christ the King High School in Queens, N.Y. The school has a stout men’s and women’s basketball history. The women’s alumni include WNBA all-time great Sue Bird, former WNBA MVP Tina Charles and six-time WNBA All-Star and two-time college player of the year Chamique Holdsclaw. On the men’s side, former players include New Orleans Peilcans guard Jose Alvarado; 2003 NBA champion and current Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton; and two-time NBA champion and 2011 Sixth Man of the Year Lamar Odom.

Tyson Walker leading Michigan State in NCAA Tournament

Tyson Walker stepped up for Michigan State in their Round of 32 matchup with Marquette. The senior guard scored a game-high 23 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field.

That included nine of Michigan State’s 13 points in the game’s final three-plus minutes. The Spartans’ were only up one point when Walker started his scoring run.

“I did tell them something in that huddle. I said, have you guys been talking it? We’ve had a heck of the last couple of weeks. We’ve learned. We’ve spent time together. I said you’re two up; it’s your game to win,” Izzo said of their final run. “And, by the way, we haven’t made many threes. That’s why your defense matters. And if you hold them without scoring, we win. Now, it didn’t quite go that way, but that was the message.