WATCH: Michigan State C Szymon Zapala Talks Senior Season, More
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EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Szymon Zapala is the longest-tenured college basketball player on Michigan State's roster.
The senior center decided to spend his fifth and final collegiate season at Michigan State last offseason. He has started every game for the Spartans and has proven to be the piece Michigan State needed to fill down low, where it had lacked size in recent years.
Zapala will be honored on Sunday when he and fellow seniors Jaden Akins and Frankie Fidler kiss the Spartan head before walking to the bench one last time at the Breslin Center.
The veteran big man reflected on the season so far when he addressed the media on Friday. You can watch below:
Below is Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's opening statement of his postgame press conference that followed the Spartans' 91-84 win over Iowa on Thursday:
Izzo: “This team outplayed us 75% of that game. Did a hell of a job. And I came in here about six, five years ago with a guy named Miles Bridges, who was a hell of a player. But I lost three centers that year, and we were a very average team. And I think how they competed tonight and what they did, I just want to take my hat off to them. To [Payton] Sandfort, he’s had a hell of a career. It was an honor and a privilege to have him in this league. And Franny [Fran McCafferey] better keep grinding it because the guy can coach. We did a poor job the first half. I didn't think my team was ready to play. We kind of reverted back, and it hasn't happened much this year. But in my humble opinion, we tried to change our identity, and all of a sudden we're going to be pretty boys and shoot 16 3s in a half and this, that the other thing, we didn't guard anybody. They were killing us in every way, shape and form. And did we wear them down a little bit? Maybe. We’ve done that to a lot of people. Did we just check a little better? Maybe. But we got outplayed a majority of that [game], and yet, I do give my team credit for having some character on the road to come back when it didn't seem like it was our night, and for that, I'm greatly appreciative. So, it was a tough win. Final score was not indicative of the game, and boy, they [Iowa] a hell of a job making some shots and back-cutting and moving. I mean, that’s the toughest offense to cover, that I’ve covered all year when we played Kansas and [North] Carolina and Memphis and all the Big Ten schools. Tough.”
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