Seniors get sour swan song

---

Tweet

Indianapolis — The reporters cleared. Raymar Morgan took a deep breath, and with an expressionless look, took off his jersey. The word “State” no longer was present across his chest. He took off his shoes and placed them to the side. Still, no expression. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

The Spartans had luck on their side throughout the 2010 NCAA Tournament and appeared to be a team of destiny.

Then reality struck: It was over.

Minutes earlier, Morgan completed the final game of his collegiate career, scoring four points in 23 minutes while battling foul trouble in MSU’s 52-50 Final Four loss to Butler on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.

But as frustrated as MSU head coach Tom Izzo was with his team’s performance, he couldn’t help but feel for his lone starting senior.

“There were some guys that walked by that I just want to hug and kiss and tell (Morgan) he’s the greatest thing I’d ever coached because of what he gave me and what he gave this team and this program,” Izzo said.

Morgan gave everything he could in his final go-around to get the shorthanded Spartans back to the Final Four. Before Saturday, Morgan averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, including making key free throws to seal victories against New Mexico State and Tennessee.

The usually tight-lipped forward did not have much to say following Saturday’s defeat.

“It was up and down, but it was a lot of fun,” Morgan said of the season. “I have no regrets. We went to the Final Four and won a Big Ten Championship. We gave it our all.”

Although a career that was full of ups and downs ended in tough fashion Saturday, Morgan still will be remembered by many as one of the most successful and hardest working Spartans in the Tom Izzo era.

From humble beginnings
Morgan, a Canton, Ohio, native, came to MSU when the Spartans were shorthanded due to players leaving early to the NBA.

He immediately was thrown into the fire and excelled, helping MSU reach the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.

During the next three seasons, Morgan’s on-the-court play was like watching a rollercoaster. Although no one could count on Morgan’s play, they could count on the Spartans’ success when Morgan came to play.

The Spartans were 13-0 when Morgan reached a double-double, 67-15 when he scored in double digits and 14-2 when he rebounded in double figures.

“I told Ray all he has to do is get a double-double and we stay another day,” Izzo said of Morgan’s performance on Saturday. “Let’s face it, he was in foul trouble. He just had a tough game.”

But for as inconsistent as his play was in his career, he will statistically go down as one of the greatest players in program history.

Morgan finished with 1,597 points and 772 rebounds, becoming just the fifth Spartan to score at least 1,500 points and grab 700 career rebounds. That puts him in elite company with former MSU greats Greg Kelser, Steve Smith, Paul Davis and Jay Vincent.

His success on the court was paralleled with success in the classroom. During open practice Friday, Morgan was honored with the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, recognizing Morgan’s work on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

‘The perfect Spartan’
It might have been an even tougher end to senior guard Isaiah Dahlman’s career.

The Braham, Minn., native watched his final game from the bench with the members of the scout team. Despite not playing and dealing with the frustration of Saturday’s loss, Dahlman put the end to his career in perspective.

“It’s the Final Four. That made it a little better,” Dahlman said of his feelings Saturday night. “You got a prize, you got a goal accomplished, but regardless of the circumstances, you always want to take it one step further.”

Dahlman left Minnesota as the state’s all-time high school scoring leader and joined Morgan on a depleted team.

So Dahlman was called upon early by Izzo. He averaged 3.7 points in 15.5 minutes his freshman season but saw his playing time dwindle with the guard-heavy recruiting class that came the following year.

Dahlman was faced with the decision of leaving MSU to find a school that would give him more playing time or sticking it out in East Lansing. Dahlman chose to stay at MSU, and his work on and off the court led to Izzo describing Dahlman as the perfect Spartan.

“My legacy, my career, my memories I make — I just hope people remember me as somebody that loved Michigan State more than anything,” Dahlman said.

Dahlman hopes to work his way into the NBA in the front office or as a scout.

He said he never will forget the lessons he and his teammates learned from this drama-filled season.

“Every one of my teammates came up to me afterward and gave me a hug and they wished me the best of luck,” Dahlman said. “I know I’ll be keeping in touch with all of them, because when you go through something like this together, you’re going to be there for life, so I’m just glad I got to experience this and those memories will be circulating throughout Michigan State and my house when I get older, that’s for sure.”

---