made sure that the local high school superstar Earvin Johnson knew that Michigan State was still the right place for him to attend and that new coach Jud Heathcote was the right guy to play for. As they say, the rest is history. But there is no doubt that Spartan Basketball wouldn’t be what it is today without Gus Ganakas.” In 2002, Ganakas became the sixth recipient of the Men's Basketball Distinguished Alumnus Award. The Michigan State team MVP award is named in his honor. Personal life and death Ganakas was married to his wife Ruth who died in 2014, and was survived by his children Gail, Gary, Greg, Anne, Amy and Marcy. He died on January 11, 2019. Head coaching record College References 1926 births 2019 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from New York (state) College basketball announcers in the United States College men's basketball head coaches in the United States High school basketball coaches in the United States Michigan State Spartans men's basketball coaches Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Military personnel from New York (state) People from Mount Morris, New York American people of Greek descent