Why Ward's Performance was 'Building Block' for Spartans
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EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Cam Ward quietly had one of his best games as a Spartan on Saturday night.
No. 10 Michigan State was forced to turn to him during overtime with senior forward Jaxon Kohler dealing with some cramps. Ward ended up putting together a sequence where he finished off a stop with a defensive rebound and then converted a putback on the other end to put MSU up five during overtime against fifth-ranked Illinois. That helped make the difference in the Spartans' 85-82 win.
"I'll tell you the truth: I feel as good for Cam Ward as I do anybody..." Tom Izzo said after the game. "He brought energy. He's a phenomenal defender, and that's why we had him in there at the end... I think if anybody needed a game like this, it was him."
Izzo also described this game as a "building block" for Ward. Spartan Nation also caught up with Ward following the game to speak about his key performance down the stretch. A video of Ward's media availability has been provided below.
Watch Cam Ward here:
More on Ward's Performance
The importance of being in the game in that spot was not lost on Ward. When it's overtime in a game against a top-5 opponent, coaches are putting their best five guys available out there 10 times out of 10.
"It means a lot, honestly," Ward said about being subbed into the game in that spot. "It did mean a lot to me, just because of the fact that I was trusted to go out there and make a play. Jaxon was cramping, so they [the coaching staff] looked at me and had trust in me to go out there and make a play, which I did."
Ward also made some other big plays during regulation. Lest we forget the emphatic dunk that he had against the 7-foot-2 Zvonimir Ivisic during the first half where Ward seemed to turn into a point forward for a few seconds. Ward also had a huge 2-for-2 trip at the line during the second half that tied the game at 47. He has really struggled at the charity stripe this season, so that was also a big moment for him.
"He's a good player, and he's gonna be a really good player, and he's a good kid," Izzo said. "I was happy, maybe as happy for Cam as anybody, because it has been a struggle for him coming off the [wrist] injury."
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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