Joshua Langford: 'It's my last college basketball game for Michigan State'
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Tom Izzo felt Joshua Langford gave him everything he had.
And it appears Michigan State basketball’s three-time captain ended his career early Friday morning with the Spartans’ 86-80 NCAA tournament loss to UCLA.
A fifth-year senior, Langford could return for the 2021-22 season and not count against MSU’s limit of 13 scholarships. Both he and Izzo hinted earlier this month the native of Huntsville, Alabama, was at least pondering that option.
Though he could change his mind, the 24-year-old seemed to be at peace and set in his decision to move on with his future.
“It's my last college basketball game for Michigan State,” Langford said, “so that's tough.”
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He did not elaborate if his next step will be to pursue professional basketball opportunities, transfer to another college or end his playing career.
Three years to the day of his last NCAA appearance, against Syracuse in 2018, Langford scored 12 points — including 10 in the second half and overtime after injuring his ankle — on 5-for-8 shooting. The 6-foot-6 guard grabbed seven rebounds, handed out four assists and blocked a shot in 36 minutes against the Bruins.
Langford is a former McDonald’s All-American and five-star recruit who was part of Izzo’s vaunted 2016 recruiting haul (along with Miles Bridges, Cassius Winston and Nick Ward). He suffered a stress reaction in his left foot Dec. 29, 2018 against Northern Illinois that ended his sophomore season and required surgery. Langford attempted to return in the summer of 2019, but a similar injury in a different part of the same foot necessitated a second surgery in December 2019 that ended his season before he could play.
This season, Langford averaged 28.1 minutes while playing all but one game and showed flashes of his former self.
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His 9.7 points-per-game average tied with Joey Hauser for second on the Spartans and included 14 double-digit performances and a season-high 18 against Nebraska on Feb. 6. Langford grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in MSU’s upset of No. 5 Illinois on Feb. 26 and averaged 3.6 for the season. His 35 3-pointers were a team high, and he shot 34.3% from behind the arc that moved back 1 foot. 10¾ inches while he was out with his foot injuries.
“Unbelievable year,” Izzo said. “I mean, the kid gave me every single thing he had. And I think it's too bad he had to go out that way, because I thought we were a good enough team to win it. …
“He gave us so much. He bounced back and did so many things. It was damn near incredible the effort he put forth to come back and play after nobody gave him a chance to ever play.”
Langford also contracted COVID-19 in early January, as part of the outbreak which led to the Spartans taking a 20-day hiatus between games. Yet he played 30-plus minutes in nine of their 16 games after his return, including eight of the final 10.
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“It's a lot of emotions right now,” said Langford, whose 1,109 career points are tied for 43rd in MSU history with Al Ferrari (1952-55). “I'm really upset that we lost. Definitely as a competitor that I've always been and with how much potential I've seen this team could have, it definitely hurts that we that we (lost). But if you talk about individually, I have no reason to hang my head. I feel like I gave 110%. I wasn't perfect, but I've tried to be the best that I could be for my teammates.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball's Joshua Langford: UCLA loss his last game
