Could the Michigan State Spartans head to the land of the original Spartans for a revival of the Trojan War?

Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis recently stated that he’s currently looking into having the Spartan men’s basketball team play USC in Athens Greece.

“We’ve made some headway with Greece, with the venue, but we’re kind of in a holding pattern right now,” Hollis told reporters in Chicago this week.

Hollis further stated that he wants to be sure the trip will be worth it for the team and the conference.

“I do believe that there is opportunities in basketball to have value back from an NCAA perspective and more specifically from a Big Ten conference perspective, sending some teams over to play in various cities, and kind of bring the game of college basketball to them,” Hollis said. “So those are things I want to explore in the future.

“Europe is a lot easier to get to than China from a regular season standpoint. But I’d like to see some outreach. I think we’re in a global world now and it’d be good to be represented over there, with not only tours, but regular season games.”

Furthermore, Tom Izzo also recently mentioned of taking his team on an exhibition tour of Italy, China or Canada to gain valuable experience.

Ref: Mlive.com

Michigan State football camp is less than a month away and with the success of past camps in landing potential scholarship prospects, Mark Dantonio and the rest of the coaching staff nets more talent this time around.

Some of the players in the past that have received a scholarship as a result of the camp include Andrew Maxwell, Dan France, Chris McDonald and Nick Hill.

So with that said here are some instate players to keep an eye on according to Matt Dorsey of the Detroit Free Press…

OL/DL Nate Jeppesen, Portage Central High School

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound lineman already has several offers and has been a frequent visitor to East Lansing over the past 12 months. Jeppesen attended multiple games last fall and a junior day function in the winter. “Both Michigan State and Michigan have said they want me to come to camp and they want to see me work on the defensive line as well,” Jeppesen said. “Michigan State has said they like me a lot and they are just trying to figure out where I can fit in and get a scholarship offer.”

WR/DB Mycial Allen of Detroit Martin Luther King High School

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Allen’s recruiting stock rose this spring after several strong performances at regional camps and combines. With four scholarships already, Allen is hoping a powerhouse program offers him as well.

“Michigan State has been my favorite college since I was little,” Allen said. “I went up there and I liked everything about it. They have a great football program and the atmosphere really stood out to me. The coaches showed me a lot of love when I was there.

Ref: Detroit Free Press

For Michigan State some of the biggest questions heading into the 2012 season pertain to the wide receiver position.

But just how big are these questions?

Well, after losing B.J. Cunningham, Keith Nichol and Keshawn Martin to the NFL, their leading returning wideout, Tony Lippett, actually had more starts at cornerback (five) than reception on offense (four).

This is why it was so important to have Tennessee transfer and Michigan native DeAnthony Arnett in the fold for 2012.

Arnett had 24 catches as a freshman for the Vols last season, and Diamond Leung of MLive.com says that experience will be invaluable for the Spartans.

“DeAnthony, his biggest asset is the fact that he can shift in and out of his cuts fairly quickly,” says wide receivers coach Terrence Samuel. “And his acceleration off the line of scrimmage is really good. You’re not going get much of a hand on him unless he’s just not paying attention or you guess right. You want to catch the ball better. A guy like that with that type of speed, we’re going to get him the ball. He’s just got to make sure he finishes the play.”

Ref: ESPN, Mlive.com

Wide receiver DeAnthony Arnett as well as Michigan State was given good news Thursday as the NCAA granted the University of Tennessee transfer a residency waiver enabling Arnett to play for the Spartans in 2012.

Last season Arnett (a Saginaw native) made 24 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns for the Tennessee Volunteers before requesting a transfer to be near his ailing father.

“From the beginning, my father told me not to worry and to put the waiver request in the good Lord’s hands,” Arnett said. “I’m glad everything is taken care of, so I can concentrate on preparing to have an impact on the team this fall.”

With Arnett given the green light by the NCAA in 2012, Michigan State is given a boost at wide receiver after graduating seniors B.J. Cunningham, Keshawn Martin and Keith Nichol. The Spartans’ leading returning pass-catcher is running back Le’Veon Bell, who had 35 receptions.

The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Arnett was third in receptions and fifth in receiving yards for Tennessee in 2011.

Ref: Mlive.com

Michigan State basketball player was sentenced to 24 hours of community service and given a $853 dollar fine and costs Thursday after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor driving while impaired charge.

In addition to the fine and community service, Nix must also attend between eight to 12 sessions of an outpatient marijuana-specific substance abuse program and attend a victim impact panel on June 21 at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center.

Nix, 21, was arrested April 3 after a traffic stop during which he admitted to police that he smoked marijuana before driving.

Nix was also reinstated to the team by head coach Tom Izzo after his arrest.

Ref: Mlive.com

With seven players committed and nine months before National Signing Day, Michigan State’s 2013 recruiting class is getting some nice reviews thus far.

In their initial team rankings, Scout.com has the Spartans at No. 20 with rival Michigan coming in at No. 1 ahead of Texas, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Penn State (12) and Nebraska (17) also represent the Big Ten among the top 20 early on.

As of now, Michigan State’s class includes four-star linebacker Jon Reschke, three star prospects linebacker Shane Jones, safety Jalyn Powell, running backs R.J. Shelton and Gerald Holmes, offensive guard Caleb Benenoch and unranked quarterback Damion Terry.

Ref: Mlive.com, Scout.com

Michigan State football players William Gholston and Lawrence Thomas suffered minor injuries in a roll over accident Wednesday. The accident occurred on eastbound I-96 near Spencer Road in Brighton Township according to Brighton Police and the Detroit Free Press.

Here is an excerpt from the Free Press report…

The crash occurred at about 3:40 p.m., after another vehicle attempted to change lanes and cut off a 2010 Hyundai sedan driven by an East Lansing woman, who lost control of her vehicle and crossed into the path of a 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Gholston, according to police.

The vehicles of Gholston and the East Lansing woman collided and rolled into the ditch on the shoulder, with Gholston’s SUV settling on its side and the other car on its top, said Trooper Greg Galarneau, who added that all three people were wearing seat belts and air bags deployed. No tickets nor citations were issued.

Ironically enough MSU offensive line coach Mark Staten was driving on the highway as well when he came across the accident and stopped to help.

Thomas, a redshirt freshman from Detroit posted the following message on Facebook following the crash…

“God is awesome,” Thomas wrote. “Me and @WillGholston was on the road on our way back home for a little break from school and got into a serious car crash. These 2 car were swerving out of control but one of the cars swerved in front of us in the middle lane. As soon as we hit the car, will flipped in the air 3-4 times and landed in a ditch on the side of the road. Many people was telling us we are so glad we walked away from that with any broken bones. We just have a few cuts, bruises, and soreness. But like I said, God is Good!!!”

Gholston a junior defensive end also from Detroit posted the following message on Twitter after the crash…

“Man you learn to appreciate life everyday I know I do smh.”

The school also released the following statement…

Former Michigan State guard Brandon Wood was arrested and released early Sunday morning and charged with criminal trespass, battery and simple assault.

According to the Lansing State Journal, Wood was charged with three misdemeanors and released on his own recognizance. He also has a court date set up for June 1st in Cook County.

The charges stem from Wood slapping an 18-year-old female after being asked to leave a Chicago area house party. The report also states that Wood verbally threatened a 32-year-old woman who owns the house in the 2600 block of West Cortland Street in the Bucktown/Humboldt Park area, northwest of downtown, around 3:30 a.m. CDT.

The initial police report didn’t specify if alcohol was a factor.

Wood was a transfer from Valparaiso playing at Michigan State in his final year of eligibility. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard averaged 8.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 37 games, 28 starts. Wood apparently moved to Chicago to train for a professional basketball career the LSJ stated.

Ref: Lansing State Journal

Jerel Worthy, DT, Drafted by Green Bay Packers, 2nd Round (No. 51 Overall)

First off, the Green Bay Packers got tremendous value for Jerel Worthy at the spot he was taken. He was a tremendous defensive tackle for the Spartans and should fit in nicely with the defensive schemes the Packers run.

The 6’2″ 308-pound Worthy can very much disrupt opponents in the backfield and is able to shoot gaps with his excellent first step.

However, a couple of problems Worthy had in college was he was never totally dominant against some of the top talent at that level. He also had some trouble dealing with the double team which is what he will come up against, not all the time but sometimes in the NFL.

And even though he won’t be a starter his first season with Green Bay, Worthy definitely has the tools to become one in the very near future.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Drafted by Washington Redskins, 4th Round (No. 102 Overall)

Kirk Cousins probably garnered more talk than any other fourth round player drafted in recent memory. This was due to Cousins being drafted only 100 picks after the Redskins took their franchise QB in Robert Griffin III and Washington stirring up an immediate quarterback controversy.

Still, RG3 will be the starter going into camp and the regular season but that doesn’t mean Cousins won’t be given an opportunity to show what he can do.

In his 39 starts for the Spartans, Cousins won 27 of them and plenty of school records including 66 touchdown passes and over 9,000 passing yards.

His success at Michigan State was spread out and possesses a totally different skill set than RG3 that has the potential to be more beneficial in the NFL.

However, Cousins has average arm strength and sometimes folds under pressure which will probably prevent him from being a starter right off the bat. But Cousins should enter the league as a solid backup and plenty potential to become a starter in the NFL in two or three years.

Kewshawn Martin, WR, Drafted by Houston Texans, 4th Round (No. 121 Overall)

Like his Spartan teammates taken before him, Keshawn Martin is also a tremendous value for where he was taken.

The Houston Texans will surely find Martin as asset, especially on special teams as kickoff and punt returner. On offense Martin fits the bill as a prototypical slot receiver due to his small size, big time speed and play making potential.

Obviously he won’t be a huge physical threat but will be utilized in his first season with the Texans.

Trenton Robinson, S, Drafted by San Francisco 49ers, 6th Round (No. 180 Overall)

At 5’10″ and 195lbs. Robinson is undersized as a safety but does have big game potential.

During the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin, Robinson recorded 12 tackles and has already been compared to Bob Sanders due to size and hard-hitting ability.

Also like Sanders, Robinson is going to have to keep himself healthy which if he does he should fill in as a special teams player or backup safety for the Niners going forward.

Michigan State WR Keshawn Martin was the third Spartan to go in this years draft as the Houston Texans took him in the fourth round, 121st overall.

Now Martin gets the chance to learn from one of the best in the NFL in Andre Johnson.

Martin, who went a pick before Wisconsin’s Nick Toon is the first of three Spartan receivers hoping to get drafted by a team. Michigan State receptions leader B.J. Cunningham and Keith Nichol are still waiting for phone calls from NFL teams.

Ref: Mlive.com