Michigan State's Tom Izzo: 'Nobody! Nobody is changing our tradition!'

EAST LANSING, Mich. - If you thought Senior Day festivities and the raising of another championship banner needed a little more push of excitement at Michigan State, Tre Holloman provided it on Sunday. And Tom Izzo commended him for it. By now, you’ve seen or witnessed the brief, late game shoving match between Holloman and Michigan players PhatPhat Brooks and L.J. Cason. Brooks and Cason stood at center court in the final seconds of Michigan State’s 79-62 victory over Michigan while Spartan seniors prepared to kiss the Spartan head logo as they checked out of the game for the final time at Breslin Center.  Brooks and Cason were trying to prevent or obstruct a tradition, which has taken place every year since 2000 when Mateen Cleaves did it. Cleaves kissed the mid-court logo after seeing Shawn Respert become the first to do it in 1996.  Holloman, a junior, snapped to attention, approached Brooks and Cason, put his hands on them and tried to push them off the Spartan head logo. Brooks pushed Holloman’s arm away. Then Brooks and Cason stepped toward Holloman in an unfriendly manner.  Senior Syzmon Zapala stepped in and pushed Brooks away. Then officials and coaches came out to separate the players.  Moments later, after Zapala, Jaden Akins and Frankie Fidler had kissed the Spartan head logo, and the game ended, the teams shook hands, although Holloman and Brooks didn’t touch hands in the handshake line.  Then after the court cleared, fans stayed in the stands to watch the postgame Senior Day festivities, including Izzo’s address. “The first thing is you did a hell of a job for us this year,” Izzo told the fans. “You look at the top (rows), nobody’s leaving. This doesn’t happen everywhere, man. “Our new president from North Carolina (Kevin Guskiewicz), I just want to tell you, it ain’t happening down there like this. This is special.” Then came the part everyone was still buzzing about.