Tag: 2000

Two Michigan State squads listed in Top-50 NCAA Basketball teams of all time

Two Michigan State teams from the past have been named in the top-50 NCAA teams of all time.

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Michigan State has been able to put together two of the greatest college basketball teams of all time, and now they are getting some recognition for those squads. On Tuesday, SB Nation dropped their Top 50 Men’s NCAA Basketball teams of all time, and MSU had two different units that made the list.

Coming in at No. 42 is the 2000 squad that beat Florida to win the NCAA Championship, led by Mateen Cleaves, Mo Peterson and the Flintstones. That squad has cemented Tom Izzo’s place in the history books.

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The second team is, of course, the 1979 squad that beat Indiana State, led by Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser and coached by Jud Heathcoate. That group of Spartans came in at No. 20.

The Issue:

Here is my biggest complaint about this list: Michigan’s Fab Five team is ranked at No. 20. That’s right, a Michigan squad that never won anything of consequence is ranked ahead of both of MSU’s Championship teams. It really makes no sense and is another example of the Fab Five being glorified despite not winning any titles, which is extremely frustrating to Spartan fans.

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All-Time Gators Men’s Basketball Bio: Brett Nelson (1999-03)

Brett Nelson was a key member of the turn-of-the-millennium squad that reached the 2000 NCAA Tournament Finals while collecting 100 wins.

Brett Nelson (1999-03) – Guard

Brett Nelson was a key member of Billy Donovan’s turn-of-the-millennium squad that reached the 2000 NCAA Tournament Finals while collecting 100 wins during his four years in school.

Hailing from St. Albans, West Virginia, Nelson was a 1999 McDonald’s All-American standout and the state’s player of the year his senior season. His efforts earned him a spot on Donovan’s team, which had reached the Sweet 16 the season before he arrived and almost won it all his freshman year.

Nelson’s most productive years at Florida came during his sophomore and junior seasons when he averaged 15.3 and 14.6 points per game while dishing out 4.3 and 3.3 assists per game, respectively. He also sported three-point percentages of 43.4, 45.3 and 39.5 in his first three seasons, respectively, with a career-high eight attempts per game his junior year, proving Nelson a significant threat from beyond the arc. Despite entering his senior season a Preseason Naismith Award Semifinalist, his final year saw a dramatic drop-off in games started and minutes played along with overall production.

Going undrafted in 2003, Nelson briefly played professional ball in Sweden but quickly decided that sports management and coaching was his career path. He took a job as director of basketball operations at Colorado State and then at VCU for a season each from 2005 to 2007 before embarking on his coaching career. Nelson is currently the head coach at Holy Cross — his first head coach gig — where in his first season on the bench his Crusaders went 3-29.