The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

HIS final season for the Michigan State Spartans ended prematurely with an upset loss in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32, but Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn was still able to exhibit the leadership that made him a star in the eyes of the coaching staff in East Lansing.

The Spartans, ranked No. 3 in the West Region, lost 53-55 to No. 11 Syracuse at the Little Ceasar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on Sunday.

Nairn, who was a member of the 2015 Final Four team as a freshman, offered words of insight in the locker room following the loss to place the game in perspective.

“It’s part of life,” Nairn said. “Basketball is what we play, so it hurts. It sucks when you lose a game and you don’t have any more, but nobody on our team is battling cancer. Nobody’s fighting for their life. I’m not trying to say losing doesn’t hurt, but there is so much pain going on outside of this game of basketball that people are facing - kids not eating, homeless people, people that are fighting disease. Nobody on this team is in that position.”

Spartans head coach Tom Izzo has always heralded Nairn’s leadership abilities as something that could not be simply measured on a stat sheet.

He awarded Nairn the title of team captain for three consecutive years and often called him an extension of the coaches on the floor. “That kid has meant the world to our programme, our community, our team, and to me. I don’t know if there is another Tum out there. He has been rock solid through a lot of things this year, and I love him for that,” Izzo said. “Tum’s not God, but he’s right there.”

Nairn ends his Spartans career with averages of 1.7 points and 2.9 assists per game. After 65 career starts, his numbers in his senior season saw a decline with the emergence of sophomore point guard Cassius Winston.

He was awarded the Stephen G Scofes Inspirational Player Award this past offseason for the third straight year when the Spartans hosted its annual Men’s Basketball Awards Banquet for the 2016-17 season.