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Wayne graduate Trice's progress on court 'crucial'

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By Sean McClelland, Staff Writer 11:53 PM Friday, November 4, 2011

Travis Trice played 18 minutes in his first game appearance in a Michigan State uniform last Sunday. He had seven points, four rebounds, three turnovers, a blocked shot and two steals in an 85-58 exhibition smothering of Ferris State.

Trice will back up sophomore point guard Keith Appling initially, but they could share a backcourt on occasion, depending on how the true freshman from Wayne High School progresses.

Coach Tom Izzo said Trice’s development will be “crucial” to this year’s team, so opportunity won’t be lacking.

“His head is spinning a little bit,” Izzo told the Detroit Free Press. “He’s thinking more than he’s playing, which is normal for a freshman. I’ve got faith in the kid that he can be a good player.”

Meanwhile, sophomore Adreian Payne (Jefferson), the other reason for Miami Valley basketball fans to follow the Spartans, had eight points and six rebounds in the Ferris State tuneup. The 6-foot-10 Payne was scheduled to start last night when the Spartans concluded their exhibition schedule against Hillsdale.

Trice’s first official game will be played on an aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, as Michigan State opens against North Carolina in the Carrier Classic on Nov. 11 off the coast of San Diego.

Saving the Bulldogs

That Butler University’s women’s soccer team found itself in the Horizon League tournament semifinals Friday night against regular-season champion Wisconsin-Milwaukee was thanks in no small measure to reserve freshman midfielder Caroline Kowal (Carroll), who came through against Valparaiso in the quarterfinals when it mattered most.

In a game tied 2-2 after regulation, Kowal scored in the sixth round of penalty kicks, rescuing the Bulldogs from the brink of defeat. They won two rounds later. Kowal was playing in just her second college game.

• Sophomore midfielder Chris Lynch (Bellbrook) and junior forward Matt Bly (Bellbrook) have starred in Walsh University’s postseason soccer run that finds the Cavaliers in tonight’s Ohio Independent Championships final against Notre Dame College. A Lynch goal helped Walsh clinch the American Mid-East Conference regular-season title, and Bly scored the winner to beat Cedarville in the OIC semifinals.

Campus tour

• Wes Bunting, director of college scouting for the National Football Post, called 6-foot-6, 307-pound senior Florida State offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders (Northmont) “at worst a second-round prospect who has the ability to mature into an NFL-caliber blind-side protector with a year or two of work.” Sanders is playing left tackle after spending most of last season on the right side.

• Tweet of the week from Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy (Wayne) on Monday after the Spartans’ 24-3 loss to Nebraska two days earlier: “Should I wear a mask to class today?” Probably not a Halloween reference, but one never knows in the world of Twitter.

If you have information about an area athlete in college, please send an email to smcclelland @DaytonDailyNews.com

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