Tom Izzo
Tom Izzo
Thomas Michael Izzois an American college basketball coach. Since 1995, he has been the head coach for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, presiding over a prolonged period of success. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame...
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth30 January 1955
CityIron Mountain, MI
basketball good guys horrendous schedule taken talented team win
I still think this team is good enough to win some big games. This is a talented basketball team with good guys that has had a horrendous schedule and it's taken its toll.
best defense guys might trying
I thought Maurice Ager might have had his best all-around game. He was unbelievable in the huddles, he was trying to get other guys shots, he made some passes, he made some shots, and his defense was the best it's been.
guys jeopardize maybe medical shy wants
Maybe I'm hoping. I have no medical evidence. The two things I like is: I know we won't do anything to jeopardize him, and I know he wants to come back. Some guys would shy away from that for a while, and for him it's a no-brainer.
five guys helped inside post second shots simplified took
I think the first five shots we took were 3s, but our inside guys weren't doing the things (we needed). In the second half, we simplified it, (we asked) the guys in the post to be passers and pickers, and that probably helped us some.
bad guys putting
I don't know what I can do about it. I feel bad that I'm putting those guys in that position, but that's just the way it is right now and it's what we've got to do.
came clutch credit deserves ecstatic extremely guys
I can't say I was extremely ecstatic about our play, and Purdue deserves some of the credit for that. Yet in clutch times, these guys came through.
adjusting coaching excuses game good guys job situations team tired whether
I can't make any excuses up. As a coaching staff, we have not done a good enough job of adjusting to the things we need to adjust to, whether it be the schedule, whether it be an injury, whether it be end-of-the game situations with guys tired or not tired. We've got to find a way to do a better job, because we're a good enough team to get it done.
create deal guys handling hopefully inside issues kids next outside preach pressure time year
I always preach to my kids that outside issues create inside problems. Pressure that you get at this time of year - you're a senior, you've got to play well to hopefully play at the next level. You just have to deal with it. I look at those guys right now, and they're not handling it as well as they did earlier.
guys higher rated signed
He was probably rated higher than some guys we signed in basketball.
anybody apples athlete certain creates fill guard guys inside player problems reason replace type versatile
The only reason I'd say no to that is because it's the type of player he is. We have other guys that can fill in in certain spots, but it's the athlete, it's the versatile 6-6, 6-7 athlete that can guard inside guys and guards, and that's where it creates some problems for us. It's not really replacing apples to apples. Anybody else that we replace him with is a completely different kind of athlete.
fire guys learn
Those two guys are going to have to learn under fire.
clutch couple front good guys means plays stuck
To do it in front of his family, that was exciting. I thought he made a couple of big plays at clutch times. ... We have pretty good players, and I think it means we've got guys who've stuck around. Those two things are good.
anybody becomes carries far guys helps keeping mental mentally michigan state strain time
When you play that many (ranked teams) in a row, it becomes a mental strain as far as keeping your guys up. I think it helps that it's the Michigan game. I think our guys will be up for that. If there was going to be a time when they mentally let down a little bit, I don't see it being this week. Emotionally, it's Michigan-Michigan State and that carries more than anybody we play, let's be honest.
bring ethic guys high hope low work
You hope your walk-ons bring some camaraderie, a high work ethic and a low maintenance problem, and I think those guys have done that.