Michigan State basketball head coach Tom Izzo is one of the last college basketball coaches still around from a generation that included legends like Jay Wright, Roy Williams, and Mike Krzyzewski. Izzo and Rick Pitino are the last of that generation, and Izzo said that, despite his issues with the current system, he is not ready to give in to the system and wants to keep going.
At a media availability before the loaded Sweet 16 bracket in the East Regional, Tom Izzo was asked what keeps him going in the changing landscape of college basketball, especially amid other coaches' retirements. While Izzo thought the current system was broken, he said he is not willing to give in to it just yet.
“I’m not ready to give in to the system, even though I think the system is completely broken,” Izzo said.
After winning the first two rounds, Izzo was asked directly about retiring and the current state of college basketball coaching, and he said he is not ready to leave yet.
“My energy is because deep down, I respect the guys who have left. I understand why some of them did. I appreciate what my boss told me a long time ago, ‘Your job is to be a steward of the game,’” Izzo said. “I don’t think right now enough coaches are standing up to be stewards of the game. A steward of the game means to try to do what’s best for the player. We’ll see as time goes by, but right now, at least for another week, I’m still hanging in there, man. Not going anywhere. Not going anywhere.”
The current system has all sorts of issues, but Izzo has still managed to churn out elite basketball teams at Michigan State despite all the changes brought by the NIL era.
It is also worth noting that Izzo had nothing but praise for what we have seen from the remaining coaches in the East Regional. He said this East Regional is full of coaches who do it the right way. Calls Hurley “the most old-school” of the new-school coaches. Hurley also said that he respects Izzo a lot and looks up to him as a coach.
