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Michigan State women’s basketball team helps keep love of the game alive for some male players

Anyssa Hall

The Spartan women, like most elite college team, have a dedicated team of male players to practice against. The benefits go both ways: the women can practice harder and the men get to continue their basketball careers.

Michigan State senior Darius Cunningham thought his competitive days of basketball were over when he finished high school at Grand Ledge, but his love for the sport never ended. He’d been set on coming to Michigan State, but never considered playing basketball there.

His love for the sport began while playing basketball at the YMCA when he was in third grade. He learned the game from growing up around his grandfather, who was a coach, and going to his practices and games.

Anyssa Hall

Little did he know attending MSU would open up another opportunity in a different way.

Behind the MSU women’s basketball team is a practice squad that devotes its time towards working behind the scenes to improve and prepare the women for matchups. Each year the program posts openings for practice players and managers.

Cunningham saw the ad on Instagram after starting school and applied for both positions. He earned a spot a few months into his freshman year after going through an interview and tryout.

“My dream was to always come to Michigan State just for school but after my last high school basketball game I had the thought of ‘dang I’m never going to play organized basketball again’,” said Cunningham, a 6-foot-1 forward. “So when I saw this opportunity, I jumped in as soon as I could.”

Senior Alex Reiter, a 6-foot-5 forward, is also on the practice team. Like Cunningham, he cannot remember a life without basketball. Reiter played at Stoney Creek High in Rochester Hills, Michigan, with intentions to continue in college. But as he progressed through high school, he realized he wanted to be a regular student.

It wasn’t until his last prep game when he recognized he wasn’t ready for his playing days to be over. MSU star guard and graduate student captain Julia Ayrault is Reiter’s cousin. She let him know about the practice squad, and made applying seem like a no-brainer when he’d gotten to college. The family ties run deep as Julia’s brother, Joe Ayrault was a manager for the women’s team from 2019-23.

“Julia brought the idea up to me and I ran with it from there,” Reiter said. “I started doing manager stuff freshman year. I played in practice a little bit, then my sophomore year is really when I started doing both practice and manager stuff.”

alex and darius at practice.mp4

Coaches use the upcoming opposing team’s scouting report to work with the male practice players on tendencies and how to impersonate certain players. Each practice they run through an average of five plays numerous times and put in significant work to prepare the women’s team both on and off the court.

However, the“practice team is about more than just practicing. Being on the team comes with a big-time commitment, despite not being recognized as a normal Division I athlete. Each member helps coaches with drawing up plays, scouting reports, equipment, laundry or anything else they may need.

“In season when we’re traveling and working games, we probably put in 30 to 40 hours a week,” said Reiter.

Reiter and his teammates also give up typical students’ experiences to help put on recruiting tailgates before every game.

“The last time I tailgated as a regular student was probably one of the first games my freshman year. It’s a lot of work and you kind of have to give some stuff up, but it’s so worth it,” said Reiter.

The practice team also shifts their own class schedules to fit around practice and games and makes time to keep themselves in shape with individual workouts outside the practice gym, along with maintaining a busy schedule for basketball.

The men will usually have time for homework in the evenings, but game days for the women mean the practice squad has to put in work too. So homework has to wait. They’ll have shootaround five hours before the game and get there early to set up, fill waters and rebound for the women, clean up when they’re done, eat and get in game mode.

“We also help with setting up and warming up the players then after the game I do laundry including warm up suits, uniforms and towels,” said Reiter.

Reiter has come to appreciate the opportunity and learned how to accommodate his personal routine with playing a big role for the women’s team. Being on the practice squad has provided an outlet for him to keep playing in a different way than he’d envisioned before.

team practice play.mp4

“This is by far the highlight of the four years I’ve been here,” Reiter said. “I thought basketball was going to take a seat on the backburner when I got here but my competitive side and desire for the sport has been reinvigorated by spending time with the guys and getting closer with Julia.”

Cunningham’s experience has been similarly bittersweet when looking back on his four years with the practice team.

“This is my favorite part about Michigan State and where most of my friendships have come from,” he said. “Just coming here every day and getting to do something I love with a great group of people has been awesome.”

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