NCAA Tournament 2000 - MSU's Peterson coping with grandmother's death

MSU's Peterson coping with grandmother's death
Associated Press

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Not long after Michigan State beat Iowa State to advance to the Final Four, Tom Izzo called Morris Peterson aside.

The coach walked him to a room where Peterson's family was waiting. Then came some hard news, and, suddenly, Peterson's big alley-oop dunk in the second half didn't seem so important.

His grandmother had died. Clara Mae Spencer, 72, died in Mississippi early Saturday of complications from a stroke last month.

Peterson's family decided not to tell him until after the game Saturday night in which the Spartans beat Iowa State 75-64.

"He went from the top of the top to the bottom of the bottom in a matter of seconds," Izzo said.

Peterson told the Lansing State Journal the will fly to Mississippi this week for the funeral. He will then try to give her the gift she would treasure most -- a national championship.

"She'd do anything for me," he said. "And I really felt her with me tonight. I didn't know she passed away. But I felt here with me all night long."

Peterson scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half.

"It seemed like somebody was guiding those shots in," Peterson told the Detroit Free Press. "When I got the news, it was very emotional. My grandmother was my best friend."

Her wake is Thursday and the funeral is Friday. The Spartans play Wisconsin in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Last year, Peterson's grandmother attended Michigan State's national semifinal with Duke and the regional games in St. Louis.

"My grandmother will always be in here," said Peterson, tapping his fist above his heart.


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