Michigan State assistant Mike Garland's bedtime stories propel, motivate Spartans

This story on MSU assistant basketball coach Mike Garland was originally published on March 17, 2018. Garland announced on Thursday (June 9, 2022) that he is retiring.

EAST LANSING — Mike Garland began telling stories — really began — when he was 7.

It was at vacation Bible school, and Michigan State’s future assistant coach nervously stepped to the front of a crowded room. Some of his peers sang songs. Others read scripture. Garland’s task was to tell the story of Jonah and the Whale.

He practiced his routine with his grandmother. Use hand gestures, she told him, don't just stand and awkwardly address the room. Don't be afraid.

That was easier said than done, but he did it.

Moments in, he noticed that every set of eyes was fixated on him. And to his amazement, a standing ovation ensued.

It’s funny to him now. It was then, too.

Sitting in a white padded chair courtside last Tuesday afternoon inside Breslin Center, a grin creased Garland’s face as he spoke about the excitement and confusion of his first public speech. He was a kid. It was hard to understand why people would stand up and clap for him. But his gift came with a dose of confidence.

“It was funny, man,” Garland joked. “That was the start of my career.”

Now 63, Garland still commands the undivided attention of the room. Instead of telling tales in front of his peers, Garland summons all 15 players on the current Spartans’ roster into his hotel room each night at the Kellogg Center before home games. He’s done that since 1996. He doesn’t think of it as a tradition, but if you ask his players, going to sleep without a Garland story is sacrilege.  

“We need those talks,” freshman forward Jaren Jackson said. “It’s like clockwork. We know what room to show up to. He talks about anything that gets us going and focused.”

Garland doesn't talk about men living in giant fish anymore. Now, his chats range from pure comedy to life lessons. He tells funny stories about school pranksters and bullies in his no-stoplight town, emotional tales about his six younger siblings and the stepfather that dedicated his life to his new family.

Garland said he doesn’t always tell stories during NCAA tournament time — instead choosing to evaluate the mood surrounding his team — he does bust out childhood stories that fit perfectly situations like Friday.

The Spartans were a big favorite in their opening matchup against Bucknell. Las Vegas has them at 8/1 odds to win the third national title in program history. Former President Barack Obama even picked MSU in his bracket. For Garland, those are distractions. And he knows that, whether you are the No. 3 seed like the Spartans are or the last team to get into the tournament, anything can happen.

Middle Tennessee State shocked the world in 2016, upsetting his Spartans in the first round.

It reminds him of his neighborhood bully, Oogie Glover.

The 300-pound, broad-shouldered brute made life miserable for everyone in Garland’s Willow Run subdivision. No one messed with him. No one dared. Until the day he said the wrong thing.

James, Garland’s cousin, had enough. Standing only 5-foot-11 and weighing 145 pounds, tops, James snapped. He attacked the infamous Oogie. And Garland was afraid for his cousin’s life.

“I remember running and telling my granddad, ‘Oogie is going to kill James.’ He could whoop anyone,” Garland recalled. “Well, it didn’t quite go that way.”

After being slammed into the car, James rolled underneath and with lightning speed, popped out on the other side. He got Oogie in a chokehold. Scared, James refused to let go until the cops showed up.

MSU was Oogie Glover. Middle Tennessee State was James.

Garland wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

This story resonates with MSU players. And it works in other ways, too. A team like Duke can be the bully, the Spartans the desperate team.

Messages. Learning moments. That is always Garland’s motivation.

Even players from years past say Garland’s talks are among their fondest memories of playing in the MSU basketball program. Aloysius Anagonye, who suited up for the Spartans from 1999 to 2003, said he still gives himself “story time” every night and morning. It helps him prepare for the day.

“He’d give us a little insight on life,” Anagonye said. “I appreciate those days. We’d have story time before a big game about life, and what we want to be as men. It helped us focus in together.”

Garland never expected his stories to become a thing of legend.

But even Tom Izzo praised Garland’s tales, saying they can also be light-hearted and “very tall.”

“Mike and I went to college together, so he was always telling war stories,” Izzo laughed, referring to their time on the basketball team at Northern Michigan University. “I always tell the guys, ‘Be ready now, because that minnow becomes Moby Dick when Mike tells the story.’

“It’s great,” Izzo continued. “That’s the cool part of this program, for me. We have done some unique things over the years.”

Garland saves his serious speeches for big games. Other times, he drops more yarns about the kids in his neighborhood. Like the time his friend Aaron “Googie” Whitfield put thumb tacks on his nemesis’ chair in math class.

Googie’s original plan — placing hot coals on the seat — didn’t come to fruition. Instead, he army-crawled across the room without the teacher noticing. The scream that followed caught everyone’s attention.

“He jumped up just like a cartoon character, man,” Garland laughed.

Goofy names were handed out like candy on Garland’s street. There was “YaYa” and “BabaLouis,” too. Garland even earned the moniker, “Giggle Master.” He doesn’t know what it means. It was just part of growing up in the factory town — a village back then — off Interstate 94. He claims his childhood mimicked the television series "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids."

“I grew up with some characters, man,” Garland laughed.

When he retires, he joked, he might turn his stories and experiences into a comic book.

Smiling, Jackson said he would definitely be in the market for one.

“His stories can vary from hilarious to very serious, but they are always enlightening. There is always a message behind them. Whenever he is being funny, he means something different that relates to the game or life.”

Josh Langford said the stories have a calming effect. 

“He has so much experience in all parts of life,” the sophomore guard said. “His stories always have meaning to them. And 100% of the time, they correlate to the game the next day, which is crazy.”

Langford looks up to Garland. And one day, he plans to pass his tales on to his own children.

“I’ll tell my kids about the great Mike Garland,” he said. “He really thinks outside the box and sees things others don’t see.”

If the Spartans hope to reach their eighth Final Four since 1999, they will most likely have to beat top teams like Duke, Kansas or Villanova. Maybe all three. Garland might not have a talk with the team the night before, but he's already passed along the lessons.

He could be convinced though, he grinned.

“It’s special. Of course, it is,” Garland said of players fondly recalling his stories. “Something as silly as that is what they remember most. It’s such a minimal thing. It’s always the simplest things that means the most to kids. They really appreciate it. So do I.”

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