MSU Basketball: The Reasoning Behind Aaron Henry's Extended Time on the Bench
EAST LANSING – Michigan State's Tom Izzo benched Aaron Henry, arguably the Spartans best player, for nearly eight minutes in the first half against Iowa.
After the Hawkeyes blew out MSU by 30-points, the worst home loss in his 26 seasons as head coach, the longtime Spartan had this to say:
"It's just kind of the way it worked out," said Izzo. "I think Aaron, the energy maybe wasn't there."
When Henry left, the Spartans trailed 23-13 with 12:29 remaining in the first half, and by the time he checked back in, Michigan State was down 40-21, and the game was essentially over.
Upon reentering the contest, he scored six straight points for MSU in the final four minutes before halftime, throwing down an intense dunk on his first possession then putting back his own miss.
Izzo added he and his coaching staff felt the junior captain might have been "tired."
"I think you saw at the end of that half when he went back in, and in the beginning of the second half, there was a different energy level," Izzo said.
Eleven of Henry's 13 points came after his extended time on the bench; he also added four rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes of action.
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