EAST LANSING – Pat Fitzgerald didn’t waste any time making a first impression in front of Spartan fans.

Just before tipoff at the Breslin Center on Tuesday night, the new Michigan State football coach walked out of the tunnel and to his courtside seat.

Fitzgerald’s arrival brought instant applause from the crowd. Before taking a seat next to the home bench, he embraced the moment by pounding a fist off his chest and then raising his arms to elevate the noise.

Then Fitzgerald got the microphone during a timeout midway through the first half with Michigan State leading Iowa following a run.

“You just made the difference between the last two timeouts, right?,” Fitzgerald asked the crowd, before a loud response. “Not even close enough, let’s blow the roof off this thing here.”

Fitzgerald

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