If "C'mon Man!" was still in season, this story would surely have warranted a mention. If Tosh.0 knew anything about sports, he'd no doubt have a set of one-liners ready for a 30-second clip. Except we only have footage of Branden Dawson playing basketball, not footage of himself watching himself play basketball and getting so frustrated as to smash and fracture his hand on a nearby table, which he did earlier this week. He'll be out the next 4-5 weeks ESPN reported.
It wasn't one play that set Dawson off, but an accumulation of self-perceived mistakes, highlighted by announcer Dan Dakich's proclamation (during the game he was watching) that his intensity was the key to the Spartans (18-1, 7-0) winning a national championship, according to MLive.com. That facet of his game has been questioned at times by his tough-to-please head coach, said ESPN college basketball insider Jeff Goodman.
"They showed me a few clips on how I've been playing and what I can do to play even better," Dawson told MLive.com. "I kind of got frustrated with myself because I know I can definitely give more to this team and provide more for this team.
"We were also watching some TV clippings from videos from the Indiana game of [ESPN analyst] Dan Dakich saying that the key to our winning the national championship is going to come up to me and my intensity. I kind of got frustrated with how I've been playing and how I know I can play. I kind of got frustrated and I slammed my hand against the table out of frustration."
They won that Indiana game (71-66), by the way, though not necessarily in convincing fashion.
Though less heralded than the Spartans' three leading scorers and NBA prospects (Adreian Payne, Keith Appling, and Gary Harris), calling the muscular, 6-foot-6 swingman one of the keys to winning a title wasn't out of line. (And perhaps it was that truth that sparked Dawson's emotion). Also described as "one of the best wing rebounders in college basketball" by Goodman, Dawson was averaging 10.2 ppg and a team-leading 8.7 rpg, the latter stat incredibly considering the 6-foot-10 Payne and his monstrous wing span (settle down, Jay Bilas).
"I hate the social media," Tom Izzo said shortly after the news was released. "And I hate it more because I got managers running up to me saying our own fans and people are ripping. If anyone rips BJ, anybody rips BJ, it'll be me. If any other fan rips BJ on something that we've all done, every guy in this room, every fan, I'm going to be more disappointed.
"If Michigan fans rip him, God bless 'em. If one Michigan State fan rips him -- one, one -- give 'em my number."
Tomorrow at 7:00 pm EST, Michigan State hosts streaking Michigan (14-4, 6-0), the only school still undefeated in the Big Ten. They'll also likey be without Payn (foot)..
