Michigan State Basketball: The Anthony Ianni story

On a cloudy spring afternoon in late March, Anthony Ianni walks into Heartwood Elementary School in Mason, Michigan, a small town about 20 minutes outside of the state’s capital, Lansing. As he enters in through the school’s front doors, he makes a quick right and darts into the school’s small cafeteria. Upon entering in through the passageway, all heads in the room turn to him, as they know the man they have been waiting for has arrived. Ianni has come here today to meet with a group called the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Family Support Group. The group is an organization in the Lansing area that reaches out to families with children who are part of the autism spectrum, offering them resources and support in what can sometimes be a very tough time. “Probably yesterday I felt like giving up,” said Mauricio Portillo the day of the meeting, whose 2nd grade son Evan was recently diagnosed with autism. “I just felt so down. It just seems like in the chaos that comes on when he’s get...