SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Michigan State’s men’s basketball team arrived in San Diego on Wednesday afternoon and after a morning of film and game preparation, boarded the team bus and got its first look at the USS Abraham Lincoln on Thursday afternoon.
The Spartans (1-0) will face No. 2 Gonzaga (1-0) in the Armed Forces Classic Carrier Edition on Friday, Nov. 11 on a court built on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier. The game will air live on ESPN (6:30 p.m. ET), with Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas calling all of the action.
While Thursday was a day of film, game preparation and practice, it was also a day to tour the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and to learn about the lives of the sailors who live and work on the aircraft carrier.
Head Coach Tom Izzo arrived early in the afternoon and took part in a sit-down interview with Bilas, along with Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few and Captain Amy Bauernschmidt, the executive officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln and the first woman to command a US aircraft carrier.
The Spartans arrived just before 2 p.m. and received a tour of the carrier, visiting the flight deck – where the game will be played on Friday afternoon – the hangar bay and the command center of the ship.
“It was a heck of a day,” Izzo said. “We were there all day, toured the ship, had two practices, but it was all very good. The players were really into it.
“There’s nothing like it. I had a chance to talk to the captain and she gave me a lot of insight on things. It was just special to the sailors and what they do.”
The USS Abraham Lincoln returned to San Diego after a 187-day deployment, traveling more than 53,000 miles during that time. It was the ship’s 13th deployment since its first in 1991.
The aircraft carrier is nearly 1,000 feet long, about the length of three football fields and the flight deck area is 4.5 acres and capable of launching 70-80 aircraft in under 15 minutes.
“It was incredible,” sophomore guard Jaden Akins said. “Just to see the size of the ship, but then to tour the flight deck and the hangar and see how enormous it is really puts it into perspective.”
After the tour, the team practiced at the VADM Martin Fitness Center on the base before returning to the flight deck and going through a shootaround on the game court during the late afternoon.
“This is definitely the best way to start a college…
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