« Men’s Basketball 2007-08

Drew Neitzel

School
Michigan State
Position
Guard
Ht
6'0
PPG
14.1
RPG
2.5
APG
3.9

Classroom

Neitzel currently owns a 3.27 grade point average as an interdisciplinary humanities major. He was Academic All-Big Ten as a sophomore and junior. He is on pace to graduate in May 2008.

Character

Neitzel understands his role as a role model in the community. He was the male recipient of the 2007 MSU Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. On the court, he is willing to do whatever it takes to win. For his first two seasons, he was the starting point guard, distributing the ball to his teammates. Last year, he made the switch to the shooting guard position when his team needed more scoring.

Community

Neitzel is one of the most giving student-athletes of his time. He has made visits to the pediatric emergency room and wing at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. He has taken part in telethons to help raise money for the pediatric emergency room as part of the Athletes For Kids program. He will often speak to local elementary schools. He and his teammates take part annually in a Trick or Treat event at a local Toys R Us for kids with cancer.

Competition

Neitzel has been named to The Associated Press Preseason All-American Team entering this season. Neitzel has also been named the the mid-season candidates list for the Naismith Award. Last season, he was a first-team All-Big Ten peformer and earned second-team All-America accolades from Dick Vitale and CBS Sportsline.com. In 2006-07, Neitzel averaged a team-best 18.1 points per game, ranking fourth in the Big Ten in scoring. He scored 20 or more points in 17 games. He made 114-of-277 three-point attempts, ranking as the second-best single-season total for made three-pointers in MSU history.