Branden Dawson – Page 2

Opinion: Branden Dawson Disappointing but Knows His Role for MSU

JAN 11 – In November, I wrote an article about how Branden Dawson would be the X factor for Michigan State this season. At the time, he had been bragging about his new-look jump shot that would transform his game.

As of now, nothing has really changed for the junior from Gary, Ind.

Dawson has had some impressive games this season scoring-wise, but they have been few and far-between. In MSU’s biggest games of the season, Dawson just does not put in the performance that coach Izzo expects.

In the loss to North Carolina, Dawson posted two points and three rebounds. Against Ohio State, he scored four points and added four boards in a game where Izzo said some of his players played like, “little boys.”

Dawson’s new jump shot was supposed to turn him into something more than a dunk and layup guy, but that is definitely not the case. He still has not attempted a single three-pointer in his collegiate career and is a stonemason from anywhere outside of seven feet. His field goal percentage is extremely high at just over 60 percent, but that is a result of dunks, layups and put-backs. We have not seen Dawson test his new jumper hardly at all this year, and I do not think we will anytime soon.

Dawson has shown flashes of his true potential at times this season. He scored a season-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds on the road against Penn State. According to ESPN, he only made two shots that were not considered dunks or layups in that game. Luckily for Michigan State fans, Dawson seems to know his limitations and does not try to force the issue with taking jump shots.

The ACL injury does not appear to have any lingering effects on Dawson. He has springs for legs and never fails to impress on a breakaway.

Although he lacks the size of most power forwards and centers, he leads the Spartans in rebounding with 8.6 per game. He simply jumps over the bigger defenders most of the time.

Right now, Dawson might be able to get a tryout with an NBA team, but his pure athleticism will not carry him far in the pros. Until he figures out his jumper, Dawson will always be a one-dimensional player. Teams have already recognized this and frequently sag off of him whenever he has the ball outside of the paint. He simply is not a threat if he is not near the basket.

Coach Izzo has enough outside weapons on his team that he does not need Dawson to expand his game right now. With the emergence of Kenny Kaminski especially, Dawson can be used as a post player, perfect for lobs and tip-ins. He can do the dirty work while Adreian Payne draws the bigger defenders out of the post.

Another year under Izzo could be what he needs to make the progress he hoped for this year. Even though Branden Dawson has not progressed the way many scouts and coaches thought he would, he fits the system at Michigan State very well – when he shows up.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2014/01/11/opinion-dawson-disappointing-but-knows-his-role-for-msu/#sthash.ASl0yKbe.dpuf

Dawson Stars in Return as Spartans Rally Past Nittany Lions

JAN 2 – With Branden Dawson and Matt Costello returning to the lineup, MSU (12-0, 1-0) looked to steamroll the up-and-coming Nittany Lions (9-5, 0-1). Dawson missed the New Orleans game with an injured shin, and Costello missed the last four games with mono.

In his last press conference, Tom Izzo said his team would have their work cut out for them in Happy Valley.

The Spartans stumbled out of the gates, finding themselves in a 10-3 hole in the opening minutes of the game. MSU was as cold as the weather outside, starting 2-10 from the field. Penn State was lights out from deep, going 7-12 from three-point land in the first half.

Michigan State was able to claw their way back, taking a two-point lead with six-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half. But Penn State quickly responded with an 18-4 run of their own to retake the lead. The Nittany Lions had a 47-40 edge at halftime.

Michigan State would not trail for long in the second half. Gary Harris came out blazing, scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points of the half.

MSU went on a 10-0 run before the first TV timeout to take a 50-47 lead. Branden Dawson made his presence felt in the second half as well, scoring 12 points, grabbing four rebounds and picking up two blocks along the way.

Once the Spartans got on a roll, Penn State had no chance at a comeback. The Nittany Lions could only muster 16 points in the second half while shooting 5-20 from the field.

The Spartans continued their hot outside shooting, going 5-9 beyond the arc in the second half. Michigan State kept extending their lead throughout the half, eventually winning 79-63.

Branden Dawson did not miss a beat after sitting out against New Orleans. The junior led all scorers with 20 points on 8-14 shooting and added nine rebounds. Adreian Payne was quiet throughout the game, only scoring five points on five shots.

Travis Trice contributed 12 points from the bench, and Matt Costello was held scoreless in 12 minutes in his return. Michigan State dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Nittany Lions 45-26.

Michigan State will travel to Bloomington to square off against the Hoosiers on Saturday before hosting Ohio State next Wednesday.

The Big Ten will be a far cry from a cakewalk this year, with three teams in the top-five and four in the top-25 in the nation. The Indiana game will be played at 2 p.m. and will air on CBS.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2014/01/02/dawson-stars-in-return-as-spartans-rally-past-nittany-lions/#sthash.SpWnY7Rc.dpuf

2013-14 MSU Basketball Season Preview

Nov 8, 2013 – McNeese State will kick off the action for the Spartans on Friday before they head to the Windy City to take on John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats. But before the season begins, all of the experts have weighed in on how the Spartans will fare. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say about the green and white.

Bleacher Report recently published a list of the top 100 players in college basketball. They had four out of five of coach Tom Izzo’s starters on the list: Branden Dawson (88), Keith Appling (33), Adreian Payne (22), and Gary Harris (9). They also released their Big Ten predictions, putting MSU at the head of the class and Adreian Payne as the Big Ten Player of the Year. However, they have the Ohio State Buckeyes winning the B1G Tournament in Indy.

ESPN released their annual preseason poll, ranking MSU No. 2, behind Kentucky and in front of defending national champion Louisville. In a separate article, 18 out of 20 experts had the Spartans making the Final Four, with six writers predicting them to cut down the nets in Jerry-World Dallas in April. Three experts said that Tom Izzo would be Coach of the Year, and nobody picked a Spartan for Player of the Year.

CBS Sports released their preseason All-American teams, with Adreian Payne being the only Spartan selected, making the third team. Their top 25 slated Michigan State at No. 3, trading positions with Louisville. Their preseason bracketology gives Michigan State the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, with Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke claiming the other three No. 1 seeds. For their Big Ten preview, the Spartans are again predicted to finish first. Gary Harris and Adreian Payne made the preseason All-Big Ten team, with Harris also picked as the preseason Player of the Year. Izzo was selected as the Coach of the Year as well. Their top 100 players list included Gary Harris (7), Adreian Payne (15), Branden Dawson (56), and Keith Appling (82).

According to CBS Sports, Las Vegas released their odds on several different categories in college basketball. For the National Championship, they gave MSU 9-1 odds, fifth best in the nation. For Player of the Year, they gave Adreian Payne 14-1 odds (ninth best) and gave Gary Harris 50-1 odds (13th best). They gave MSU 2-1 odds to win the Big Ten, tops in the conference.

Overall, everyone seems to be high on the Spartans this year, as expected. The season would be considered a disappointment if Sparty didn’t make the National Championship game. This is one of the deepest Michigan State teams that Izzo has been fortunate enough to coach in years, with four NBA prospects on the team and experience everywhere.

The Spartans will get a chance to prove themselves early in the season, facing No. 1 ranked Kentucky on Tuesday in Chicago. Izzo also scheduled North Carolina (12th in the AP poll, 11th in the ESPN/USA Today poll) on December 4 at home, and unranked Georgetown on Super Bowl Saturday at Madison Square Garden. This matchup might be the most intriguing because of its timing. Most coaches don’t schedule non-conference games in the middle of conference play, but Izzo isn’t most coaches. The Spartans have never been afraid of stiff competition in their non-conference schedule. Just last year, they played Connecticut, Miami, Texas and Kansas all before they started Big Ten play.

Froling’s Prediction: Michigan State will finish first in the Big Ten during the regular season and will win the tournament. Branden Dawson will be the most improved player, Gary Harris will be the Big Ten Player of the Year and finish in the top-five in the voting for Naismith Player of the Year, along with Adreian Payne, but Creighton’s Doug McDermott will take Player of the Year the honors. The Final Four in Dallas will include MSU, Kansas, Duke, and Ohio State, with MSU losing to Kansas in the Championship Game.

– See more at: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2013/11/08/2013-14-season-preview/#sthash.YTNlVTC0.dpuf

Opinion: Branden Dawson is the Spartans’ X-Factor

Branden Dawson’s freshman season ended during the final regular season game of the year versus Ohio State, when he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament. That injury changed the trajectory of Dawson’s career. Instead of spending the summer of his sophomore year developing his game or possibly preparing for his rookie season in the NBA, he was forced to rehab his knee.

Dawson saw his production drop in his sophomore campaign, going from 16.4 points per 40 minutes pace adjusted to 13.7. Although he was healthy, the mental aspect of recovering from such a serious injury still lingered.

“The mental aspect was hard. When I came back from my ACL injury, there were times where I was thinking too much, and there were times where I went in for a dunk and I just went in and just laid it up. The mental aspect, it was very tough on me. I was going out there, and I was thinking a lot,” Dawson said in an interview with Spartan Nation Radio.

This prevented Dawson from having the breakout season everyone expected from him. If he hadn’t injured his knee, he would probably be in the NBA right now, but a slight letdown of a season made Dawson think twice about making the leap to the pros.

Now entering his junior year, Dawson says he is “100 percent now,” and is due for that breakout year. This is why he will be the Spartans’ x-factor. Without having to worry about his knee, Dawson was able to spend his summer working on his game, especially his jump shot. Although he shot 53% from the field last year, that number was down four percent from his freshman campaign. Branden Dawson has not made a three point shot in a Michigan State uniform, but this year looks to be different. He is so proud of his new jump shot that he posted a video on his instagram account of him shooting.

http://instagram.com/p/cfAR1LGiRj/

Dawson has improved so much over the summer that coach Tom Izzo had this to say about the junior in an interview with Spartan Nation Radio:

“This summer he’s improved his shot. He’s improved his body. I think he’s had the best summer of his life, and I think he’ll be ready for hopefully a breakout junior year.”

Everybody can talk about how important Adreian Payne, Gary Harris, and Keith Appling will be for Michigan State this year, but Branden Dawson might be the player that could carry the team from very good to the best in the nation. With an improved jumper and better ball-handling skills on the wing, Dawson could spread out opposing defenses and open up driving lanes for the guards. Assistant coach Dan Fife said this about Dawson in an MLive article:

“Branden’s got huge hands, but one thing that when he came in, he was a good ball-handler,” Fife said. “He really was. I think he’s working to become a great one.”

The 6’6” junior is one of the best defenders on the team. Dawson led the Spartans in steals last season with 57. His defensive rating was the sixth best in the Big Ten according to sports-reference.com. He had 1.4 blocks per 40 minutes last season, which was second among all wing players in the nation according to draftexpress.com. Dawson was also named the Big Ten’s Most Entertaining Player and a preseason third-team All-Big Ten selection by Lindy’s College Basketball Magazine.

This season, draftexpress.com has Dawson as the sixth best junior in the nation. He’s on the second best team in the nation according to the coaches poll. If Michigan State wants to make it past the Sweet 16 this year, they will need a better Branden Dawson. He had a disappointing showing in the NCAA Tournament, averaging four points and 4.7 rebounds per game. This was another big factor in Dawson’s decision not to go to the NBA. His poor performance in the postseason hurt his draft stock.

Michigan State’s roster is star-studded, with three players almost guaranteed to make the NBA, not including Dawson. With so much talent on the court with him, he could fly under the radar of opposing defenses and explode for huge nights. Don’t be surprised to see Dawson post a couple double-doubles this season.

This year, there will be a new Branden Dawson. He’s hungry to prove that he is ready for the next level. He wants to prove that he’s back. The knee injury is just a thing of the past. This will be a more confident, high-flying Branden Dawson who will dunk on you without a second thought. He is Michigan State’s X-factor.

-Original link to article: http://impact89fm.org/sports/2013/11/02/opinion-branden-dawson-is-the-spartans-x-factor/#sthash.fxGeapUx.dpuf