EAST LANSING — Alvin Ellis III always thought he loved basketball, growing up 20 minutes south of Chicago in the village of Matteson, he was always up for a pickup game or open gym when he wasn’t playing for an organized team.

But then came Ellis’ freshman year at Michigan State, and all of the adjustments to life away from home and a busy class schedule.

Ellis’ basketball passion was suddenly compromised in the estimation of Coach Tom Izzo, who made it clear at his preseason media day that he’s looking for the 6-foot-4 sophomore shooting guard to step up his game.

“Is he going to get the basketball bug and put a little more time in — it didn’t happen at the beginning of the summer, but it really did at the end of the summer,” Izzo said. “He’s going to be, I think, one of the keys to this year’s team.” - Read more at MLive.com