MINNEAPOLIS — The hospital. The wheelchair. The day job. The night job. The medical bills. The student loans.
Kenny Goins spotted his parents from the court, and tears flooded his eyes. He was grateful for all they endured and all they sacrificed, to put him in the jersey of his favorite childhood team, for putting him in position to hit one of the biggest shots in Michigan State history.
“That’s why I broke down emotionally when I saw them after the last game,” said Goins, whose last-minute 3-pointer propelled the Spartans past Duke in the Elite Eight. “I was calm and collected and then I saw them and that’s when the waterworks came.”
The Troy, Mich., native grew up in a room decorated green and white, idolizing Tom Izzo and the Spartans from the time he began attending games at 6 years old.
When the kid became a 6-foot-7 standout forward at Warren Mott High School, Goins received numerous scholarship offers. Michigan State was only interested in him as a walk-on.
“My parents were as supportive as could be. They said the decision is yours,” Goins said Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium. “I was bearing the weight on my own shoulders of the financial issues, and my dad told me, ‘We’ll figure that out.’ He said, ‘Go whenever your heart desires.’ ”
His heart was conflicted.
It was 12 years earlier that his mother, Laura, suffered an arteriovenous malformation, preventing blood flow to her brain. Surgery was needed. Goins was instructed by his father, Ken, to say goodbye, in case she didn’t survive.
She landed in intensive care. She had to relearn how to talk and walk. She could no longer work. His father took on two jobs.
Goins didn’t want to be responsible for an extra, unnecessary burden. His parents didn’t want to be responsible for blocking his dream.
“It has meant the world,” Goins said. “What my dad did for our family, he’s been the hero of our family.”
And Goins is forever a hero in Spartans lore.
That prospect bordered on impossible when Goins was redshirting his freshman season, when his parents had taken out a $17,000 loan they are still paying off.
“It’s hard not to second-guess yourself when you’re sitting and not playing, and not knowing if you’ll ever play, really,” Goins said. “It just really came down to talking to my family. They said you made this decision for a reason.”
Soon after Michigan State’s 2015 Final Four run, Izzo called Goins into his office.
The forward left the Breslin Center. Tears rapidly formed. Goins sat beside the Magic Johnson statue, and called his parents. The coach he long was in awe of had offered him a scholarship.
“When he told me it was a surprise to me. I didn’t even know we had a scholarship available,” Goins said. “My mom started crying, and my dad had relief, but also he said, ‘It’s not over yet. They gave it to you but now you have to go earn it. They’re expecting a lot more out of you now.’ ”
Injuries limited his potential. Torn knees. A broken nose. Sports hernias. As a junior, Goins was a reserve averaging less than 14 minutes, and just over two points.
In his first and only season as a starter, the fifth-year senior has epitomized Michigan State’s balance and toughness. The player who hit four total 3-pointers in three years is now shooting more than 35 percent from deep, playing more than 30 minutes per game, leading the team with nine rebounds per game, adding 1.3 blocks.