Among the six dozen athletes inducted into Michigan State’s Athletics Hall of Fame last September was MSU basketball’s all-time leading scorer — one whose school-record 2,531 points will likely never be broken.
Shawn Respert averaged over 20 PPG in each of his final three seasons in East Lansing, including 25.6 PPG during a 1994–1995 senior season that saw him earn First Team All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year honors. Many of those points came from beyond the arc, as the Detroit native shot a sparkling 45.5% from distance during his college career.
The eighth overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1995 NBA Draft, Respert lasted just four seasons in the NBA, limited by stomach cancer that he didn’t publicly disclose until 2005. Fortunately, it did not sour him on the game he loves, as he is currently in his second season as the Timberwolves’ player development coach.
Respert’s alma mater, currently ranked No. 4, hosts top-ranked Indiana at the Breslin Center on Tuesday night. Shawn Respert profile
