If there was any confusion, it has quickly disappeared for Gabe Brown.
The Michigan State freshman has been on campus only a short time, but early workouts and several games at the Moneyball Pro-Am have hammered home one clear fact: If the 6-foot-8 Brown expects to contribute in his first season under coach Tom Izzo, he’ll need to be tough.
“The eye-opening difference is you got to be tough to play Big Ten basketball, that's what I know,” Brown told The Detroit News. “That's what they teach me every day -- you've got to be tough. If you're not tough, then you can't play.