chances in competition Im not a slave driver and Im not a dictator

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo can see the positives and negatives all jumbled together for his 24th-ranked Spartans, from the good stretches where the ball goes inside to the bad ones when his team fires up quick 3-point attempts.Its still not smooth for us, the Hall of Fame coach said after Wednesdays 73-62 victory over St. Johns in the Battle 4 Atlantis. It might not be for a while.Freshman Miles Bridges had 22 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to lead the Spartans (3-2), who used a 17-4 burst midway through the second half to pull away late and build a 67-53 lead with about 2 1/2 minutes left.Eron Harris added 14 points for the Spartans, while Tum Tum Nairn Jr. -- a native of nearby Nassau -- matched his career high of 13 points in his return to the Bahamas.Michigan State has had a bumpy start to the season, starting with a loss to Arizona on a last-second basket in the opener. The Spartans managed just 48 points in a loss to current No. 1 Kentucky and barely beat Florida Gulf Coast at home over the weekend. Its part of a tough opening month that concludes with a trip to preseason No. 1 Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.Theres some frustrating moments, and its not all their fault, Izzo said. Its just the cards weve been dealt. ... Im asking a lot of these guys. And you know what? Im going to keep demanding it because thats what we do here.Marcus LoVett scored 20 points to lead the Red Storm (2-2), who shot around 31 percent and couldnt answer Michigan States clinching push.We tried everything -- inside, outside, we tried pick and roll, St. Johns coach Chris Mullin said. We got enough looks but didnt knock any down. When you shoot 30 percent, you arent going to win a game.BIG PICTURESt. Johns: When LoVett was hitting (13 points after halftime), St. Johns was right with Michigan State. But the Red Storm struggled most of the game, while Mullin particularly noted the teams eight assists as a sign of how the ball stuck.Thats really not the kind of game I want to play, Mullin said.Michigan State: The performance of Bridges and fellow freshman Nick Ward could be a welcome sign of hope for Michigan States frontcourt, which is down two big men due to knee injuries. Ward finished with nine points and a season-high 11 rebounds, and the Spartans desperately need more games like that from them going forward.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Spartans have slid significantly in the AP Top 25 from their No. 12 preseason spot, though they could start climbing again by getting through an Atlantis field that also includes No. 10 Louisville and No. 20 Baylor.DOMINANT BRIDGESThe 6-foot-7 Bridges had a double-double by halftime and finished 9 of 18 from the field, including 3 for 5 from 3-point range. He had three assists and one block in 35 minutes.Im just doing whatever Coach wants me to do, Bridges said. Wherever he puts me at, Im trying to create for others, score for myself, rebound. Like I said, if people double-team me, I can get my teammates open. Thats what I like to do: I like to see my teammates score more than I do.TUM TUMS BIG NIGHTNairn, a 5-foot-10 junior, had scored nine points through the first four games but blew past that with 11 after halftime. He hit 3 of 4 3-point attempts after never hitting more than one in any game in his career.There was also his highlight-reel moment when he threw down a huge dunk in transition to thrill the large gathering of family and friends on hand to catch his return to the Bahamas.UP NEXTSt. Johns: The Red Storm will face VCU on Thursday in the losers bracket on Day 2 of the three-games-in-three-days event.Michigan State: The Spartans advanced to Thursdays semifinals to face No. 20 Baylor, which beat VCU earlier Wednesday.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Wil Lutz Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Stan Brock Jersey . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. http://www.customsaintsjersey.com/custom-jonathan-vilma-jersey-large-1052e.html . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Bobby Hebert Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Thomas Morstead Jersey . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique.She was a little wild – did crazy things. I remember her competing in France after a foot injury and she was limping on the runway, but determined to compete. When she first came to Cardiff, I discovered she was even more competitive than my original perception. She was also shy and quiet...that has all changed over the last four years!The words of Scott Simpson, the coach who has been taming, nurturing, calming, patching up, firing up, and ultimately supporting GBs pole vaulting queen Holly Bradshaw.Part of the job is listening to her gripes when travelling together. Bradshaw describes her coachs penchant for gangster rap music as bad taste. Does he mind such stinging criticism from his star pupil?Its a constant source of ridicule for me. But I dont care. I like what I like and if other people cant get on board with that, then they suffer on long car journeys!This is a relationship that will survive its musical feuds. Their bonding has developed since the 25-year-old Sky Academy Sports Scholar got fed up with commuting between the UK and USA after the 2012 London Olympics and settled in Cardiff to work with her new coach. Scott and Holly have hit back after a sixth place at London 2012 Its a brutally honest, analytical, open partnership that has overcome debilitating injuries, fall-outs in the heat of major competitions in China and is now moving swiftly on from mild irritation at not making the Rio podium to planning on ruling the world with a mixture of graft and giggles.Before she came to Cardiff, she was a young, talented vaulter on a super-fast development curve. Raw talent, very competitive, a gifted natural vaulter, says Simpson, also the Head of Coaching and Performance for Welsh Athletics.She has grown in many ways. She is much more professional in her approach to her career - she sees it as her profession now rather than something that was just fun to do and that she was good at. Check out Hollys Rio Olympics video diary This is shown off the track, like her lifestyle parameters, as opposed to during training. She is also far more open with her communications and listens to her body more. Her decision making is constantly improving and she is becoming a well-rounded world class athlete.Bradshaws journey includes a sixth finish at London 2012, gold at the 2013 European Indoor Championships and back surgery knocking her out for 18 months. She hit back with seventh at last years World Championships in Beijing, got injured again in January and arrived at the Rio Games with only two months of preparation.Physically tip-top, but lacking vaulting practice, Holly just failed at 4.80m in the Olympic final and missed out on a medal. It was a stuttering Rio build-up but becoming British champion was a high-point Its been a tough four years, Simpson adds. Weve spent more months rehabbing than weve trained and prepared to compete. Neither of us have enjoyed that. Weve made mistakes - too many - but I hope weve both learned from them. I am generally pretty optimistic, but realistic, and Ive never thought we cant get through this. Ive worried about Holly at times, because shes taken a lot of blows and set-backs and everyone has a breaking point. Its testimony to her determination that shes stuck with it.Three months before Rio, Holly hadnt picked up a pole in six months. At that stage I dont think either of us knew where it was going to end up - but we both remmained optimistic - as always.dddddddddddd There was an array of emotions along the journey, but in general, things went from strength to strength.At the holding camp in Brazil, Holly worked hard and I thought for the first time in 12 months since Beijing, that she could win a medal. I think Holly felt the same. The warm-up in qualification was a bit of shambles, but we werent shaken and she qualified with ease. Check out Hollys Rio Olympics video diary She was great in the final. The emotion for us both when she missed at 4.80 was obvious - disappointment and a feeling of what if? She was definitely capable of a 4.80/4.85 that day. It would have been a dream to have won an Olympic medal, but fifth after the journey we had - it was hard to remain disappointed.Simpson says Holly being crowned European indoor champion was one of his favourite memories having just been handed the full coaching reins from Dan Pfaff, and describes being invited to her wedding in 2014 as a privilege.There was one dark cloud in their relationship that quickly blew away in Beijing last summer. He says: Our disagreement after the World Championships will also stay with me for a long time. It was funny how in a moment where we should have been celebrating that we could clash so strongly on something.Simpson says their success is down to a fine balance - focused yet friendly and supportive on the track, while off it their friendship is growing where he is very comfortable in Hollys company. We dont agree on everything and we have different views in some areas of life, but that is fine, Simpson admits. We are learning more about each other every year and learning where the boundaries start and finish. Ready for action in Brazil despite limited chances in competition Im not a slave driver and Im not a dictator. I believe in creating a conducive learning environment. This is different for everyone. Holly is receptive to learning and development when she is relaxed. To create this environment, I do what I need to do. You dont get to a World Class level without working, but I dont make it harder than it needs to be. There are times to build an athletes resilience but there are ways to do that without setting stupid workouts, or acting like an idiot.Next years World Championships on home soil is fast approaching, followed by a Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018 and the Japanese Olympics in 2020. Whats on the Bradshaw-Simpson radar with winter kicking in?All our focus currently is on the Worlds, Simpson says. Plans are laid out to get us there in the best way possible. If we can travel that journey without too many detours, then I could see her doing very well in London. Beyond that, lets wait and see, but I know Holly is totally committed to winning a medal in Tokyo. Because of the difficulties shes encountered, shes realised that enjoying the good times is a critical part of the journey. Its not always going to go to plan and that is part of the experience.But the moments when it all comes together - thats what makes it all worth it. My hope is that this happens at a major outdoor Championship next summer.WHATS COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS....NOV 14 - 18: Jack Bateson, GB boxing campNOV 20: Quillan Isidore, BMX Winter Nationals, Manchester DEC 9 -11: Elise Christie, World Cup short track speed skating in ShanghaiDEC 16 - 18: Elise Christie, World Cup short track speed skating in Gangneung, South Korea Also See: About the Scholarship Meet the athletes Blogs Videos Galleries ' ' '