I spent the whole weekend mulling (and sulking) over Tom Izzo (Michigan State's Men's Basketball coach, a titan of the Big Ten and kindly king of East Lansing, Michigan) and his impending departure to greener pastures, to the tune of three million dollars more/yr greener. Apparently the Powers That Be at the Cleveland Cavaliers is a MSU grad and what he wants is Izzo. Izzo had quickly pointed out to the media after MSU was knocked out of the Final Four earlier this year that he wasn't going anywhere. That more money was a laughable motivator and he was staying put in East Lansing. I usually don't believe such statements. Coaches are marionette puppets and their strings are pulled solely by money. They're also incredibly bad actors so they say a lot of stuff but there is a clear disconnect between their mouths and their brains that makes them extremely unbelievable. But with Izzo, I really believed him. He is treated like royalty in and around Michigan State University and is heavily respected and admired in the sports world around the state and across the country. His integrity shows and he has never been one to shirk blame when it's due.
It began as ugly rumors a week ago, then news came that his family had taken a trip down to Cleveland, then he met with his team at Michigan State. Then nothing. The silence spoke volumes and Spartan fans knew that the Izzone (the student section at the Breslin Center) was living on borrowed time.
It's hard for me to wish Izzo well in Ohio. Naturally I'm bitter. I had to endure many U of M Wolverine fans rubbing their hands together gleefully and it's like a knife in my back every time. But he has been with Michigan State since 1983 and with so many talented players returning in the fall, he is essentially throwing the team and the school's basketball program under the bus. Which is why it stings so much, it's so uncharacteristic of him. Michigan State will lose their recruiting power and their dominant position in the college basketball arena. Plus for myself, an alumni, this is a deja vu situation going back almost a decade to when coach Nick Saban left the Michigan State football program to go to the NFL. He failed miserably and went back to the college level to coach for Louisiana and he began another wildly successful career stint. I feel very strongly that this may be Izzo's future. He expects a lot from his players, starting with respect and drive. His college players have always been eager to oblige but at the professional level, the athletes attitudes are much much different. They are getting paid either way and many remain undisciplined and do not like father figure coaches reading them the riot act for poor performance on or off the court. I think, like Saban, Izzo is a niche coach. His area of expertise is at the college level, there's no shame in that but coaches have to recognize their limitations. They also have to recognize gift horses when they are looking them in the mouth.
It feels like Izzo will leave State on a sour note which is a terrible way to address a school and a student body that has given him so much. And it's hard for me to not feel betrayed and angry. There's a right and wrong way to exit a team and school and I hope Tom Izzo remembers that first and foremost
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