More Numbers Retired?

It was nice to see Morris Peterson have his jersey retired last weekend. Now, don't you want to see other numbers retired from some of those great teams from 1998-2001? If you retire Peterson's number, don't you have to retire Charlie Bell's number? I know Bell never averaged any more than 13.5 ppg in any one season but how can you separate he and Peterson when Bell was actually a part of three (rather than two) Final Four teams?

And what about recognition (but maybe not having numbers retired) for such players as Andre Hutson? I contend that he is one of the most underrated Spartans basketball players because of the consistent scoring and rebounding numbers he posted. Hutson averaged 10.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg but 13.8 and 7.6 as a senior. And Antonio Smith, despite never being a great scorer, was kind of the one who started it all for Izzo after a 16-16 first season as head coach.

A quick note on Peterson. I was a senior at MSU writing for the long since defunct Green and White Magazine in 1995-96 (that 16-16 team) when Peterson was redshirted. I remember attending the basketball's team media day that fall and seeing this tall, lanky kid in the stands where the other players were sitting. I had no idea who he was but there were no media members talking to him so I gave it a shot. It was Peterson and he told me that I was the first media interview he had given as a member of the MSU team.

I can't say I remember much about what we talked about other than that he was being redshirted and that coach wanted him to get stronger and play better defense. Also that he had taken an elbow in practice from Jamie Feick which he surmised is a good example of what Big 10 basketball will be like. At that point, I never would have guessed that he would have a 10-year NBA career ahead of him. Belated congrats to Morris.