A game that didn't count meant everything to these Charger basketball players

by Brad Monastiere

Fans could hear the familiar squeak of basketball shoes moving against the finished wood court. They blended seamlessly with the constant bounce-bounce-bounce of the basketball being dribbled against the same court. The dueling sounds form one continuous melody.

They’ve heard these sounds before. But they didn’t sound like this.

The basketball players have shot countless shots against the backdrop of the clear backboard. Sometimes there were a lot of fans behind that glass. Sometimes there weren’t. They have spotted the blue blur of their teammates cutting in and around other players, looking for a pass or a shot.

They’ve seen the backboards before. But they didn’t look like this.

The basketball players ran out into opposite corners of the court, brand-new loose-fitting warm-ups flapping in the wind. Their eyes were wide, strides sure and plenty of hop in the step.

They’ve anticipated the start of a game before. But it didn’t feel like this.

As athletes, you live for the combination of sights, sounds and feelings that make up your internal and external being as you get ready to enter into competition with others. For the players on the Hillsdale College men’s basketball team, the night of Friday, November 4, 2011 spun a web of emotions and sights unlike any they’ve ever seen or felt before.

The Chargers played on one of the ultimate stages that night, in the Breslin Center, taking on Michigan State University in an exhibition contest for both teams. Technically, this game would not count in the standings for either team. But don’t tell the players on the Chargers that this game wasn’t special.

Most of the players on the team grew up in Big Ten country. Tyler Gerber from Ohio. Derek Schell, Matt Clarke and Brandon Pritzl from Wisconsin. John Bagge and Nick Washburn from Illinois. The team’s big contingent of players from Michigan, like Brad Guinane, Tim Dezelski, Tony Nelson and Brandon Crane. Brent Eaton hailing from the basketball-mad state of Indiana. They appreciate the tradition of a program like Michigan State. They grew up admiring the toughness coach Tom Izzo preached in his players. They spent Saturday afternoons appreciating the explosive athleticism of players like Jason Richardson, the gritty leadership of Drew Neitzel and the big-time-players-make-big-time-plays-in-big-games quality embodied by players like Kalin Lucas.

Now, it was them. It was Brent, Timmy, Wash and Gerbs taking that same court, playing the same program they saw on ESPN all the time. It would only be human nature to feel a little overwhelmed by the moment, even for nervy and bold college athletes.

The Izzone was constant noise, as if played on a loop, ebbing and flowing with every subtle action on the court. You can’t expect to replicate the look of nearly 15,000 fans in your peripheral vision in practice, where all these guys see are static wooden bleachers and the occasional splash of blue.

As the game started, the spectacle of the arena was not lost on these intelligent, self-aware players. The Chargers played a little tight, trying to adjust to the overwhelming size and blinding speed of the Spartans (that’s something else you can’t replicate in practice). The movements weren’t smooth, the passes had that pulling-the-string feel to them at first, and the shots bounced roughly off the rim. MSU cruised to a 25-9 lead early in the first half. Then, a funny thing happened. The basketball players started playing basketball.

This group of Chargers are at their best when they’re relaxed, taking makeable shots, and moving the ball quickly and crisply. Gerber, the soul of this team, drained a 3-pointer. Brad cleverly made his way inside for a layup. Suddenly, Hillsdale was on a 12-2 run, it was a six-point game, and members of the Izzone started looking around nervously, wondering what exactly, was going on.

The rest of the story does not play out like the film “Hoosiers.” There was no miracle victory. The Spartans exercised their physical dominance and turned it into an 80-58 win over Hillsdale.

After the game, the players sat on the bus, absorbing all they saw and felt on this night, when Izzo himself climbed up the entrance to address the team. He commended the team on their skill and effort, and made sure they understood how hard the Spartans prepared to play this game. MSU’s preparation intensity was a direct compliment to the Charger program, and the players understood this. Some of the players took to Twitter to express their emotions and admiration for Izzo. Others kept it simple, stating that this was the best basketball experience of their lives.

The 2011-12 season carries high hopes for the players on this team. Not many Division II squads get to experience things like the trip to Greece in August, followed a few months later by a game on the grandest of stages. Experiences like this bond a team together. When you combine the bond, the skill, the drive of these players, this game at Michigan State University will rank a little further down the list of the greatest basketball experiences of their lives.

They will have great nights on the court in the future. But they won’t be like this. They’ll be better.