Former Michigan State basketball player Anthony Ianni overcame autism to fulfill his dreams, which he knows others on the spectrum can do as well.
Anthony Ianni travels the country speaking out against bullying and educating people about autism. By the time he was 11 years of age he was six feet tall and wore a size-13 shoe. Consider that he was also autistic and, well, he was a big and easy target for schoolmates, neighborhood kids and whoever else thought it would be fun to harass and razz somebody that was “different.”
“I had a really tough time understanding a lot of those things, especially the sarcasm and jokes,” said Ianni, who was a center for two seasons at Grand Valley State and two seasons at Michigan State. “I still have a lot of those same struggles to this day, but I have learned to cope with the fact that I am going to have those struggles for the rest of my life and I am okay with that.
Attending sporting events as a youngster, though, could be problematic. That was especially so with football games at Spartan Stadium and basketball games at the Breslin Center. Noise, such as buzzers signifying timeouts and whatever was blaring from arena and stadium speakers could be overbearing. Such noise sensitivity is common among autistic individuals.
Through his Relentless Tour campaign Anthony Ianni speaks to grades 3-12 and other groups, including college athletic teams. Basketball was an outlet, one that allowed Ianni to escape the daily torment. Starting with his sophomore year of high school more and more people began to realize how good he was. Suddenly, Ianni didn’t stand out because of his developmental disorder.
While Ianni was appreciative of the overall experience at the school, which he said has outstanding resources for those on the autism spectrum, he felt the coaching staff could have been better understanding of his situation. When the assistant coach who recruited him and grew close to him left for another opportunity, Ianni thought it was time to move on as well. He did so with no hard feelings.
“Coach Izzo and his staff had a really good idea of what they were working with,” said Ianni, who has a degree in sociology from MSU. “His staff knew about me, but they had to adapt a little bit to helping me with some of the strategies and plays. The coaches were very accepting.” Ianni blended in nicely with the Spartans. He did not tell anybody about his autism during his first couple of years in East Lansing. Two of his teammates, one from high school and one from the travel circuit, were aware he was on the spectrum, so it was not a big deal. Furthermore, as he grew older it became more difficult for the average person to detect his struggles.
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