Tom Izzo
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| Tom Izzo | ||
| Date of birth | January 30, 1955 | |
|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Iron Mountain, Michigan | |
| Sport | Basketball | |
| College | Michigan State University | |
| Title | Head coach | |
| Championships won |
2000 National Championship; Four Final Four appearances | |
| Schools as a coach | ||
| 1995-Present | Michigan State University, head coach | |
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.[1]
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[edit] Head coach at 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 nine straight NCAA tournament appearances which has not yet been broken. He has coached his teams to four regular-season Big Ten championships and two Big Ten Tournament titles. Since he became head coach, every player that he has recruited and who completed their full eligibility has gone to the Final Four.
[edit] 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. [2] His motto is "Players Play – Tough Players Win". [3]
[edit] 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 Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, Mateen Cleaves, Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson, Alan Anderson, Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager, and Paul Davis.
[edit] 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 Heath, University of Arkansas
- Stan Joplin, University of Toledo
- Doug Wojcik,University of Tulsa
[edit] Playing career
Raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan, Izzo attended Northern Michigan University from 1973-1977, 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 Iron Mountain High School football teammate and NMU graduate, former Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci.
[edit] Early coaching 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 Heathcoate. In 1995, Heathcoate retired and Izzo took over.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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. [4] 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." [5] 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." [6]
[edit] 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 servicemembers. Among the other coaches were Kelvin Sampson, Tubby Smith, Gary Williams, and Rick Barnes. In 2005, Izzo's team won the tournament championship.
[edit] Season-by-season results
| Season | Wins | Losses | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 16 | 16 | Second Round (NIT) |
| 1996-97 | 17 | 12 | Second Round (NIT) |
| 1997-98 | 22 | 8 | Sweet Sixteen |
| 1998-99 | 33 | 5 | Final Four |
| 1999-00 | 32 | 7 | NCAA Champions |
| 2000-01 | 28 | 5 | Final Four |
| 2001-02 | 19 | 12 | First Round |
| 2002-03 | 22 | 13 | Elite Eight |
| 2003-04 | 18 | 12 | First Round |
| 2004-05 | 26 | 7 | Final Four |
| 2005-06 | 22 | 12 | First Round |
[edit] Quotes
- “We’ll play anybody, anyplace, anytime. It doesn’t matter, morning, noon or night, and it doesn’t matter who it is.” [7]
[edit] Notes
- His .742 winning percentage (23-8 record) in the NCAA tournament ranks third among all active coaches with 10 or more games coached [8]
- Holds Big Ten record 53-game home court winning streak
- Named his son Steven Mateen Izzo in honor of Mateen Cleaves, point guard on the 2000 national championship team
- Inducted to the Northern Michigan University Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame in 1998
[edit] References
- NCAA Tournament records CSTV.com, March 14, 2006, retrieved August 7, 2006
- Active coaches NCAA Tournament winning percentage, retrieved August 7, 2006
- "Spartans are bruisers, and proud of it" by Gary Shelton, St. Petersburg Times, March 23, 2003, retrieved August 7, 2006
- "Spartan Basketball: Training With a Football Mentality" by Ken Mannie and Mike Vorkapich, Scholastic.com, retrieved August 7, 2006
- "Report: Hawks make offer to Izzo" Associated Press wire story, CNNSI.com, May 12, 2000, retrieved August 7, 2006
- "Izzo not interested in Raptors, plans to stay put" by Kelly Theiser, The State News, June 15, 2004, retrieved August 7, 2006
- "Maui Invitational: Strength of Schedule" by Kevin McNeill, Collegehoopsnet.com, November 19th, 2005, retrieved August 7, 2006
[edit] External links
- Brief biography on MSU's web site
- "2000 Michiganians of the year: Tom Izzo" by Dave Dye, The Detroit News, April 8, 2001, retrieved August 7, 2006
| Preceded by Jud Heathcote |
Michigan State Men's Head Basketball Coach 1995– |
Succeeded by Current Coach |
