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Second chance with Michigan St. ‘biggest blessing’ for Derrick Nix

spt-120716-derrick-nix-getty

Mike Miller

Derrick Nix was this close to being booted from the Michigan State roster. He’s intent on making the most of it.

He’s spent summer dropping weight – the 6-9 center is in the 270s right now – and working on his game. Nix played against teammate Adreian Payne during a recent summer league game and feels pretty good about his skills entering his senior season.

The work has impressed coach Tom Izzo, who saw fit to reinstate Nix after he pled guilty to impaired driving charges following an April arrest. Nix didn’t want to disappoint his coach.

“(A second chance is) probably the biggest blessing I’ve ever had in my life. I made a bad decision, and my career could’ve been taken away from me easily,” Nix told the Lansing State Journal. “I could be back home in Detroit, back in the streets. Just to have that second chance from Spartan nation and coach Izzo and the family is great.”

Nix has high expectations for the season, too.

“I want to walk the straight line and lead my teammates to the Big Ten tournament championship and get to the Final Four,” Nix told the paper.

(H/T: The Only Colors).

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.