Former Spartans coach dies at 92
Gus Ganakas, coach at Michigan State from 1969-76 who remained part of the athletic department until his retirement in 2000, died, Michigan State said Friday. He was 92.
Ganakas became an assistant coach at Michigan State in 1966. After taking over as head coach three years later, he went 89-84 in seven seasons. Jud Heathcote succeeded him and coached the Spartans to a national title in 1979 with Magic Johnson leading the way.
He was assistant athletic director from 1976-98 and an aide to Tom Izzo from 19982000. He also spent over 30 years as one of the voices of Michigan State men’s basketball, serving as a color commentator.
“For 20 seasons we were broadcast partners — a partnership that would turn into one of the greatest friendships of my life,” said Will Tieman, play-by-play announcer from 1992-96 and since 2002.
Before coaching, Ganakas was the coordinator for the Ralph Young Fund, known today as the Spartan Fund. In 2017, the Michigan State most valuable player award as voted on by the players was named in his honor.
Indiana
Bruno Fernando had a career-high 25 points and 13 rebounds and Maryland used a second-half surge to rally past No. 22 Indiana Friday night, 78-75. The Terrapins (14-3, 5-1 Big Ten) trailed by 14 points early before storming back to earn a fifth win in a row. Two of those came against ranked foes — then-No. 24 Nebraska and the Hoosiers (12-4, 3-2), who have lost two in a row after a seven-game win streak. Romeo Langford scored 28 points for Indiana. The Terrapins rattled off 16 consecutive points to start the second, taking their first lead of the game. They never again trailed, committing just one turnover in the second half.
South Carolina
Freshman point guard T.J. Moss will miss the rest of the season after having surgery this week. Coach Frank Martin said Moss will take a medical redshirt season. The guard suffered a high ankle sprain and aggravated a previous injury at practice Dec. 18. The news comes as the Gamecocks (7-7, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) were set to play host Saturday to Missouri (9-4, 0-1), before a storm led to the game’s postponement. The Tigers were seeking their first SEC win while the Gamecocks had opened league play with victories over Florida and No. 14 Mississippi State. The National Weather Service had issued a winter storm warning for Missouri calling for up to 13 inches of snow.
Siena
Evan Fisher scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and Siena made 5 of 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to defeat Marist, 71-66, ending an 11-game losing streak in conference road games. Neither team shot 35 percent in the first half, which ended tied at 22. Fisher scored Siena’s (6-10, 1-2 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) first 11 points of the second.