Watch: MSU's Tom Izzo Grants Scholarship to Nick Sanders

"I'm going to award a scholarship to a guy that hasn't had one yet," Izzo said. "He was a walk-on here. And he worked his tail off and is one of the great teammates, one of the great students. He was our Student of the Year this year.

"So now, he's going to be on a full academic ride. I wanted to do it in front of you, in front of them, in front of these guys because you should appreciate that some things you just don't get right away. Sometimes there's a process. So today, Nick Sanders gets his Michigan State full scholarship.

Sanders is the son of Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders, arguably the greatest running back of all time.

The Spartan veteran has appeared in a total of 26 games so far in his collegiate career. He played in seven his freshman season, nine in his sophomore season, and 10 last season, including an appearance in Michigan State's win over Bryant in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He made a bucket and would finish the season with 8 points.

Sanders scored the first points of his career with a 3-pointer against Stony Brook in his sophomore season.

Izzo prefaced the announcement with a message.

"This camp, everybody's not the greatest player yet," he said. "But this is what it's all about, you work for the goals you want. I worked for mine, I ended up making my college team, I ended up getting a scholarship on my college team, I ended up coming down here and working my way up. Everything the same way.

"And when that happens, great things happen."

For Sanders, a great thing happened.

Sanders will be one of Michigan State's three returning seniors next season. One can only imagine the roar he'll get from the crowd when he kisses that Spartan logo.

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