Jay Williams Criticizes Gabe Brown For Dancing Before Michigan State-Illinois

It has been a fairly disappointing season up in East Lansing as Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans are 18-7 with a few bad losses on the resume. They're ranked 19th in the country but expectations were higher after an uncharacteristically down season in 2020.

Today, the Spartans faced off against No. 12 Illinois. They got off to a terrible start in the first half, scoring eight points in the first nine minutes and quickly falling down by double digits. Jay Williams, on the call for ESPN, pointed at senior and captain Gabe Brown's lackadaisical attitude as one of the primary problems with Michigan State this year. Specifically, Williams didn't like that Brown was dancing before tip-off.

Williams' larger point was the lack of strong leadership on the team, which holds some water. It is fair to say the Spartans have needed better on-court leadership this year, especially over the last 10 games.

On the other hand, this is a 21-year-old having some fun before a college basketball game. And it's not like it's out of character for Brown.

Leadership comes in many different forms. Michigan State undoubtedly needs better results on the court and it starts and ends with Brown, the team captain and best player on the roster. But his pregame antics don't move the needle.