Another Izzo disciple

Garland to succeed Massimino at Cleveland State

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Cleveland State hired Michigan State assistant Mike Garland on Thursday to succeed Rollie Massimino as head basketball coach and revive a program that has sunk to the bottom of the Horizon League.

Garland, 48, received a three-year contract with a two-year option and performance bonuses. He will be paid $135,417 in his first year and will receive a $7,500 bonus if Cleveland State qualifies for the NCAA tournament, plus $5,000 for each game the Vikings win in the NCAAs.

He said he will use his reputation from coaching at Michigan State, which reached three Final Fours during his seven years there, to recruit and keep talented high school players in Cleveland.

"The one thing I think Mike Garland brings to Cleveland State immediately is a brand name -- that brand name being Michigan State," Garland said.

He said he wants to play a style of basketball similar to coach Tom Izzo's at Michigan State with aggressive defense and rebounding. He also wants to play an up-tempo game that will bring fans back to sparsely attended Vikings games.

"After talking with him yesterday for the first time, it already seems like he has a strong idea of where he wants the team to go," sophomore center Peter Ritzema said Thursday at the news conference introducing Garland.

Garland has already had some success at Cleveland State's 13,000-seat Convocation Center. Michigan State won its first two games there in the 2000 NCAA tournament on the way to a national championship.

"We played two exciting times right here in the Convocation Center," Garland said. "We're going to have some of those same exciting times here very shortly."

Massimino resigned last month after the Vikings went 8-22 and finished last in the nine-team Horizon League.

At Cleveland State, Massimino was unable to duplicate the success he had while leading Villanova to an improbable 1985 NCAA title. After a promising start, the Cleveland State program sputtered, going 90-113 in his seven seasons.

Garland becomes the second assistant to leave Izzo's staff for a head coaching job this year. Dayton hired Brian Gregory last week.

Tom Crean of Marquette, Stan Heath of Arkansas and Stan Joplin of Toledo also are former assistants under Izzo.

"I'm very excited because now I get to watch Mike Garland fulfill his dreams of being a Division I head coach," Izzo said. "He has the opportunity to build the Cleveland State program into one that will have the respect it deserves to have."

Before arriving at Michigan State, Garland led Belleville High School in southeast Michigan to a 153-49 record over nine years. He was named The Associated Press High School Coach of the Year in 1993-94.

 

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