Tom Izzo
From Hoopedia
Tom Izzo (born January 30, 1955 in Iron Mountain, Michigan) is the men's basketball coach for Michigan State University. Under Izzo, the program has been one of the most successful in the country, having won a national championship in 2000 and sent many players to the NBA. The Spartans have reached the Final Four in four of the past eight seasons, more than any other team during that time. Izzo has won four national coach of the year awards. His 233 wins in his first ten years as head coach rank seventh in the history of college basketball. His streak of three straight Final Four appearances from 1999-2001 is the third-longest of all time.
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Coaching
Early Career
After graduating from Northern Michigan, Izzo was head coach at Ishpeming High School for one season before returning to NMU where he worked as an assistant coach until 1983. He then came on staff at Michigan State as an assistant coach under Jud Heathcote. In 1995, Heathcote retired and Izzo took over.
Michigan State
Hired as head coach at Michigan State in 1995, Izzo is currently the longest-tenured basketball coach in the Big Ten Conference. After going to the NIT in 1996 and 1997, Michigan State began a streak of ten straight NCAA tournament appearances which has not yet been broken. He has coached his teams to four regular-season Big Ten championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, four NCAA Final Four appearances, and one NCAA national championship. Since he became head coach, every player that he has recruited and who completed their full eligibility has gone to the Final Four. Also, 82 percent of his players who completed their eligibility left MSU with a degree.
USA Basketball
Izzo was head coach of the USA Basketball men's team at the 2003 Pan American Games. Prior to that he was assistant coach of the team that had a 5-0 record and won the gold medal at the 2001 Goodwill Games. Izzo currently serves on the Collegiate Committee of USA Basketball's 2005-2008 Quadrennium Committees.
Other Coaching Opportunities
Izzo has had opportunities to become a coach in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks offered him a head coaching job in 2000, following MSU's national championship. He was contacted by the Toronto Raptors in 2004, but stated "I have a commitment to this program and that is to try to win another national championship." In 2006, after MSU football coach John L. Smith was fired, internet rumors claimed Izzo was a candidate to replace him. Izzo put that to rest, saying he has "business to finish" as the Spartans' basketball coach. He has thought of coaching football before, and said that "football has been a love of mine beyond most normal human beings."
Tom Izzo was rumored to be a top candidate to replace Tubby Smith as head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats after Smith accepted the head coaching job at the Minnesota Golden Gophers on March 22, 2007. Since then, Kentucky has hired Billy Gillispie away from Texas A&M.
Coaching Philosophy
Izzo's teams are known for toughness and rebounding. Izzo got attention when people learned of his "war" rebounding drills, in which the players have sometimes worn football helmets and shoulder pads. His motto is "Players Play – Tough Players Win".
Player Development
Five of Izzo's players have been named to All-America teams. Since 2000, ten have been selected in the NBA draft, third most in the NCAA. Six of those went in the first round. Some of the notable alumni are (current team): Morris Peterson (Toronto Raptors), Charlie Bell (Milwaukee Bucks), Mateen Cleaves (Seattle SuperSonics), Zach Randolph (New York Knicks), Jason Richardson (Charlotte Bobcats), Alan Anderson (Charlotte Bobcats), Shannon Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers), Maurice Ager (Dallas Mavericks), and Paul Davis (Los Angeles Clippers).
Coaching Tree
Several of Izzo's former assistants are currently head coaches at other schools:
- Tom Crean, Marquette University
- Brian Gregory, University of Dayton
- Stan Joplin, University of Toledo
- Doug Wojcik, University of Tulsa
- Jim Boylen, University of Utah
- Stan Heath, University of South Florida
In addition, Mike Garland used to be head coach at Cleveland State.
Playing Career
Raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan along the Wisconsin border, Izzo attended Northern Michigan University in Marquette from 1973-77, where he played guard for the basketball team. In his senior season, he set a school record for minutes played and was named a Division II All-American. He is still close friends with his childhood friend, Steve Mariucci, who was his teammate at Iron Mountain High School and NMU.
Operation Hardwood
In 2005 and 2006, Izzo participated in Operation Hardwood, in which college coaches went to Kuwait military camps to coach basketball teams of American service members. Among the other coaches were Kelvin Sampson, Tubby Smith, Gary Williams, and Rick Barnes. In 2005, Izzo's team won the tournament championship.
