At the Izzone Campout, making a connection

EAST LANSING — It’s never easy being the new guy.

Thomas Adams knows the role all too well.

Sitting in a green-and-black camping chair in the corner of spot No. 367 on Friday afternoon, the Michigan State junior played on his phone, listened to country music and watched hundreds of his fellow students file into the field outside Munn Arena.

It was the annual Izzone Campout. Adams was one of the first fans in the gate.

He didn’t have a tent, only a Chicago Cubs blanket filling his allotted space. He was wearing a green MSU hat and a World Series shirt. He was still on cloud nine because the Cubs clinched a berth in the National League Championship Series the night prior, but admitted nervously that he doesn’t know if the Cubs’ pitching staff is ready to go.

But tonight, it was all about the Spartans. And hopefully meeting some of his classmates.

“I want to have a fun experience at MSU and enjoy basketball,” the 22-year-old said. It's why he decided to come to the campout. “I love it so far.”

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Adams loves hoops.

His favorite high school memory was sinking a 3-pointer at the buzzer in his first game during his senior season. What made that game so special wasn’t sinking his first bucket but simply wearing a uniform.

The previous three seasons, Adams was a team manager. Suffering a stroke shortly after birth, he has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder which limits the use of his right arm and leg.

He said it took him more than a decade to learn how to dribble, let alone shoot a basketball.

Trying to get dressed or shower, Adams said, can be a daunting task. “Things in everyday life can be hard. I have found a way to overcome.”

That didn’t stop him from scoring eight points in a win over River Valley that season.

“I was pretty happy,” Adams said. He was smiling after detailing his big night on the court. “At first, I was pretty emotional. I am just happy that they wanted me to play.”

Scrolling through his phone Friday, his right hand was balled in a fist with his thumb sticking out between his pointer and middle finger. With some maneuvering, Adams can unlock his thumb from that position. A metal plate in his wrist helps keep his arm straightened.

His right foot is curved in. He said he isn’t in pain, but needs muscle relaxers to loosen his extremities. He gets Botox shots occasionally. They help with stiffness.

“It could’ve been worse,” he said.

He isn’t in a wheel chair. He isn’t bed bound.

Life is good. Especially on this 60-degree fall night. In less than six hours, MSU head basketball coach Tom Izzo and his team would take center stage — literally. The Spartans would address a crowd of roughly 2,500. Adams had been looking forward to it all week.

“I think they are going to be pretty good this year,” he said. “I think they really have a chance.”

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He fell in love with the Spartans after his high school team, the Bridgman Bees, made it to the state finals across the street at Breslin Center in 2010. That’s why he transferred here from Lake Michigan College this year.

By attending the Izzone campout, Adams is increasing his odds of having a good seat to take in all the action this winter.

Members of the MSU student section pay an annual $55 fee to join the Izzone and earn points that go toward priority seating. This campout accounts for four points. Each game, conference play or not, gives members one point. The more points you accrue, the earlier you can purchase your tickets.

“It would be pretty sweet to get a seat down low,” Adams laughed.

But for now, he is focused on the cornhole game happening a few feet away from his campsite. Behind him, four young men laugh as they attempt to set up their living quarters for the evening.

What hour earlier was a field of grass and white lines has turned into a sea of orange, blue and green pop-up tents, grills and folding chairs. Smoke is lofting through the air. Students are hitting volleyballs, tossing footballs and playing card games at their sites.

A line of at least a few hundred students stretches around the registration table. No one seems to mind.

Adams is still alone.

He is not planning on staying outside tonight. Because of his condition, he is granted a pass. It’s not that he doesn’t want to stay out here, he just doesn’t know many people on campus yet.

“If I meet people out here, I will probably stay,” he said shyly.

Just as the sun started to set, a student walked around a tent and into his area. He wanted to know if Adams wanted to try his hand at a game of Euchre with him and his friends a few rows down.

Johnathon Finch, a junior from Glenrock, Wyoming, also makes sure to rib him about his Cubs blanket.

“You aren’t a bandwagon fan, are you? Let me guess, you have been a fan for what, one or two years?”

It’s in good fun.

Adams doesn’t know how to play euchre, but he is willing to learn. Plus, a pair of Finch’s friends are also Cubs fans.

“The important thing is we are all MSU fans,” Finch laughed.

Music began to blare from the stage that Izzo and his team would grace in a couple of hours. Food vendors line the field. The registration line — still full.

There were approximately 1,000 tents set up, said Jim Donatelli, MSU director of digital marketing and fan engagement, a far cry from last year when only 600 campsites were filled and the weather dipped below freezing overnight.

“Plus, the team this year is pretty good,” Donatelli quipped.

Adams considers himself one of the lucky ones to be here. And his night had just gotten a little better.

Sitting by himself for nearly four hours, his cell phone serving as his only entertainment, Adams had some more visitors.

Two women were sitting on his blanket. His phone was nowhere in sight.

“We just came over to hang out with a fellow Cubs fan,” one of the girls smiled.

Adams’ grin told the tale.

Contact Cody Tucker at (517) 377-1070 or cjtucker@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @CodyTucker_LSJ.