Staudt: Jud still a gem 20 years later
He may be 88 years old and he may get around a bit more gingerly these days, but former Michigan State basketball coach Jud Heathcote doesn't seem to have lost any of his magical wit. Jud is participating in a five-part series on the Big Ten Network in which he and former coach Gary Williams of Ohio State and Tom Davis of Iowa reminisce about what they call ‘the good old days’ of the sport in the conference back in the '80s and '90s. Steve Lavin is the moderator and the shows were taped in Spokane, Washington where Jud now lives with wife Beverly.
It's been 20 years since Jud retired from coaching - and he always says his two biggest contributions to Michigan State were Magic Johnson and Tom Izzo. But regaling after dinner audiences sent many home from special evenings laughing out loud at his comments. And while he won numerous honors for his coaching ability it is Jud's speaking ability that has always left me impressed. He is absolutely the best ad lib speaker I have ever heard - bar none. And it's not just because he can be funny. I used to query him about how to speak and what his secrets were and he always offered some tips, though I don't think he studies the art of public gab very much - it is a natural gift few others have. I also believe Izzo has become a better orator himself because of Jud's influence on him through the years.
Public speaking for coaches is a necessity that goes with these jobs and Jud won over a lot of fans because of his talent at drawing laughs from everywhere. Enjoy the rest of the shows on BTN.
FUTURE CHIP: Good for Tony Poljan. MSU might have been a more glamorous football experience for him but the Lansing Catholic High standout wanted to continue his days playing quarterback, not tight end. MSU has plenty of quarterbacks but CMU can clearly use Poljan's talents throwing the ball. CMU has been blessed already by Cooper Rush's quarterbacking ability out of Catholic and Poljan will have plenty of milestones to go after once he takes over and Rush has moved on following next season. I always advise parents to let their kids pick a college where they know they can play. Who knows if Poljan would have played at MSU, but in Mount Pleasant I would think the sky's the limit.
EMPTY PROMISES: Is it just me or does it seem like there have been more decommitments around these parts than ever before. And while Ohio State and Michigan seem to have loaded up with talent that will finally sign on the dotted line Feb. 3, coaches Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh have lost some recruits they thought they had committed months ago. The system breeds of wasted time and excess spending and you wonder when they'll all get tired of it and collectively finally call for reform. For what it's worth, ESPN's current recruiting ratings for the 2016 class have Ohio State first, Michigan fifth, Penn State 11th from the Big Ten East before Michigan State, currently listed 19th.
DOUBLE STANDARD: Pinch me. The NCAA is allowing agents to help high school seniors who play baseball decide between college or turning pro if they have been drafted. Okay, so why not carry the move a step further and let agents help basketball players? I have long felt the NCAA, who is always calling for athletes to graduate, should let agents help declared players for the NBA draft as underclassmen. And if they don't like their draft result then why not let them return to school? It would add a great deal of quality to the college game. As it is now, once players declare they must pull out before the draft. Why not afterward when they'd have some leverage? Same with football players who can turn pro after their junior year, but if it doesn't work out well in the draft why not let them return for their senior season? Doesn't it all seem like simple common sense? Especially if graduation is all that important to these schools regarding their athletes?
BASEMENT DWELLERS: Rutgers is ranked 12th in this week's national wrestling poll. It's about the only sport Rutgers can compete in favorably in the Big Ten. The other sports languish dramatically and the school is awful in men's basketball with little chance to gain parity because of poor facilities and little chance of having them upgraded. How Rutgers will ever be competitive in the Big Ten East each season is hard to imagine. The Big Ten East football coaches should thank their lucky stars they get to play Rutgers every season. This all came to mind after watching Rutgers' basketball team lose at home on BTN the other night by 50 points to Purdue.
READY FOR FOOTBALL: No surprise that Earvin "Magic" Johnson gets credit for being the first in line to purchase Los Angeles Rams' season tickets for next season. The Rams say Earvin had his $100 deposit delivered first. He has an option to buy up to eight season tickets for next fall, but something tells me he won't watch the games from the stands and if he needs more tickets for the games in the Coliseum he'll be able to get them.
BASKET BOREDOM: All these free throws in college basketball. Yawn. I thought those who run the game were supposed to make it better. After watching these foul plagued games all season it appears as if the rules makers have a long way to go to grow the popularity of the sport, not diminish it. If nothing else, they need to add a sixth foul to the college game so that the best players are on the floor for a longer period of time.
MAT WOES: It's been a tough wrestling season at MSU with an 0-10 start entering competition this week. Especially working with a Big Ten schedule. In the national wrestling rankings this week, 10 of the top 23 schools are from the Big Ten, led by Penn State first and Iowa second. Michigan is eighth. Michigan State will never catch up because the facilities are substandard and there is only so much return from a dramatic upgrade which would be too costly to provide.
MOVING ON: Former Charlotte High School coach Eddie Ostipow is the new head football coach at Greenville. He left after three seasons at Forest Hills Eastern.
REDWINGS GREATS: St. Johns High School inaugurates its first athletics hall of fame class on Sept. 9 at halftime of a football game against Mason. The first class will have 10 entrants including teams and a maximum of five in succeeding years. Nomination forms are available at www.sjredwings.org/athletics. They must be received for the 2016 class by March 31 and individuals may not nominate themselves. St. Johns is asking for donations to develop the hall through the coming years.
STARS ALIGNING: Lansing Community College will honor two of its teams at upcoming men's basketball games. The volleyball team won its first conference title in 25 years and will receive its championship banner Jan. 27 during halftime at about 8 p.m. The women's national championship cross country team receives its banner at the Feb. 17 game, about the same time.
SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT: Three former MSU players are on active rosters for the two NFL conference championship games today. Wide receiver Bennie Fowler plays for the Denver Broncos and Keshawn Martin plays the same position for the New England Patriots. The teams meet for the AFC title in Denver with kickoff at 3 p.m. on CBS. Quarterback Drew Stanton is the backup to Carson Palmer for the Arizona Cardinals who play at Carolina in the NFC title game, which kicks at 6:40 p.m. on Fox. Stanton is in his ninth NFL season. Fowler caught two passes in Denver's win last week over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Martin caught two passes in the Patriots' win last week over Kansas City. Both receivers are in their first seasons with their current teams.
ROUGH CROWD: I agree with Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis - it makes no sense to move the Michigan vs. Michigan State football game to night. Crowd behavior is already an issue when the games are played in the daytime. And it is an inconvenience for fans everywhere to attend night games. MSU President Lou Anna Simon does not like the 8 o'clock starts for numerous obvious reasons and she is right. And it's high time the schools tell the networks to go jump in the lake - the ticket holders are first priority and games will be played in the afternoons. Especially Michigan vs. Michigan State.