Spartans to retire Peterson's jersey prior to Saturday's game
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The MSU men’s basketball program will retire the jersey of former Spartans great Morris Peterson prior to Saturday’s game against Illinois at Breslin Center, MSU Athletic Communications announced Monday.
The ceremony will take place before the game’s 4 p.m. tipoff.
Peterson, who was selected with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors and currently plays for the New Orleans Hornets, was part of the 2000 National Championship team and also earned both All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year honors as a senior during the 1999-2000 season.
Peterson ranks 10th on MSU’s all-time scoring list with 1,588 points, eighth with 146 three-pointers made and fourth with 137 starts. During his time in East Lansing, the Spartans won three straight Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles and made two Final Fours along with the 2000 National Championship.
Peterson will become the ninth player in MSU history to have his jersey hung from the rafters, joining Scott Skiles, Steve Smith, Johnny Green, Shawn Respert, Jay Vincent, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Mateen Cleaves, Peterson’s former teammate and fellow Flint native who had his jersey retired in February 2007.
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Why So Fast
(01/12/09 5:54pm)Report
Why does MSU feel the need to retire someone’s jersey when they are very young in their career? Looking at the rest of the retired jerseys (minus Cleaves), Peterson really has not played to the level to warrant his jersey being retired. MSU should wait until he has had a well storied career like the rest. This is just like all of these “famous” people putting out their memoir in the first five years of their careers. Show us something worth while in 15-20 years of a career and then honor them.
SoCAL Spartan
(01/12/09 7:14pm)Report
Why So Fast,
How old were you when MoPete was playing for coach Izzo?
Obviously, you weren’t old enough to remember/understand what he and Mateen have done for the program…
If MSU retires all the ex-MSU “superstars,” I would agree with you, but not Mateen and MoPete.
SoCal Spartan
(01/12/09 7:23pm)Report
Well, there are two SoCal Spartans…maybe I should become OCSpartan…haha
I agree, we need to retire jerseys of the players that played the way Coach Izzo wanted them to play, and then some. This way the kids when they’re on the courts can have reasonable things to aspire to. MoP is the BOMB!
Long live the GREEN! Let’s serve up PSU good this week.
Sparty1977
(01/12/09 9:53pm)Report
Yeah, I have to agree with Why So Fast there. They should have waited until they finished with their playing career. There is no question that MoPete and Mateen deserved to have their number retired. I was there when they both were playing. Like Dick V would say, “they were awesome, baby!”
Jason B
(01/13/09 7:34am)Report
In response to Why So Fast, they’re retiring his jersey because he was a great player for MSU, not because of what he’s done in the NBA. If that was the basis for retiring someone’s jersey, then Respert wouldn’t have made it. Even if Mo Pete never became a great NBA player, it doesn’t change what he did for the Spartans. He was awesome, and helped get this program to the elite level and the championship. So if you think about it, it’s been almost 9 years since that happenned. How can you say “why so fast” when you only have to wait 5 years to go to the hall of fame in some sports.
MSU ALUMN
(01/13/09 8:56am)Report
I agree with Jason. It is about the players college career, not what they do in the pros. Heck, in football there are former Heisman winners that don’t even get drafted. Should there schools not honor them because they didn’t have an illustrious pro career? Mo Pete and the rest of the “Flintstones” was huge in putting this program back on the map! How many times have you heard of an All-American & Big Ten player of the year coming off the bench as the 6th man?
Oh and I couldn’t help but notice absent from the list of greats was Greg “Special K” Kelser.
chris
(01/13/09 4:19pm)Report
i agree, why wait. he is clearly on par with the other jerseys in the rafters and meant so much to the program that exists today. and by the way, his all american big ten poy year came as a starter…he was 6th man in his soph/junior years but not senior
patrick
(01/13/09 4:53pm)Report
Like MSU ALUMN hints at above, the article contains a major omission. It says that “Peterson will become the ninth player in MSU history to have his jersey hung from the rafters…” and then the author only names seven of the other eight who already have the honor, leaving out Greg Kelser. How can you forget Special K!
Why So Fast
(01/13/09 6:10pm)Report
SoCAL Spartan — how old was I? I was a senior at MSU watching the 2000 National Championship game from the Breslin center, so yup I know what he did, and I don’t believe they deserve it until later in their careers. Look at Mateen Cleaves – what has he done since? I think he has a full time janitor job at the Palace — so maybe his jersey retirement was a bit premature.
SoCAL Spartan
(01/14/09 2:54pm)Report
Why So Fast,
Wow, you were a senior student at MSU at that time, and believe Mateen doesn’t deserve his jersey retired…
I guess you are the type of person who just can’t get it.
As an Die-hard MSU fan who traveled to all those Final Four trips as a member of the Izzone, I am pretty disappointed to know there are some “fans” like you…
SoCAL Spartan
(01/15/09 1:20am)Report
Why So Fast,
By the way, please don’t consider yourself of a Spartan fan. Don’t ever pretend or mention it to others, please.
Mateen is still fighting for his dream. Many think he can’t be an NBA player, but it doesn’t matter. We all know what he is made of.
He is still fighting.
Disgracing him like you did proves that YOU DON’T DESERVE to be a Spartan.
(Most likely, you can never get it, though. What a shame…)