Tag: Approaching

When asked what he would have said had someone told him on Nov. 4, the opening day of the college basketball season, that his team would be 16-2 and sitting atop the Big Ten standings after winning 11 consecutive games, Tom Izzo didn’t hold anything back.

“You must be on something,” Izzo said.

For a Spartans team that was chosen fifth by the media in the Big Ten preseason poll and lost its top three scorers from last season, it was fair to think that it could take some time for Michigan State to figure things out and get on track. But for the 30th-year head coach, Hall of Famer and 2000 national champion, the process has been accompanied by winning because of the depth of his team. 

“It’s hard to know every single year what your team is and what they’re going to be, but it’s really hard to know about other teams,” said Izzo, whose Spartans beat No. 17 Illinois 80-78 on Sunday to go to 7-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign. “So, you really don’t know what you’re going against after so many teams go through the offseason chaos. But our team has gone through this journey really well to this point, and our group has really found a way to enjoy one another.”

The Spartans have one of the more unique rosters in the nation, with 10 players averaging 14-plus minutes per game and only one who averages double-digits in points – senior Jaden Akins.

“We may not be as talented with a top 3-4 guys that just overwhelm you, but it’s been a talented group of 10 guys that have come together,” Izzo said. “We work really well together, we’ve worn some people down and most importantly, we’ve done the things we need to do to win. It’s been a really fun group to coach.” 

All of that depth and production has led Michigan State to the No. 8 ranking in this week’s Associated Press Top 25, with the Spartans boasting top-20 marks in both KenPom offensive and defensive efficiency. This is a versatile team, with eight different players leading them in scoring in games this season, and getting 25-plus points from their bench in 17 of 18 games.

With their only losses coming to Kansas and Memphis on a neutral court, the Spartans’ metrics are strong, as they are currently projected as a 3-seed by FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy.

Akins has embraced a leadership role, Jase Richardson has flashed upside as a freshman, Omaha transfer Frankie Fidler continues to make progress as a complimentary scorer, Tre Holloman and Jeremy Fears generate tempo, Coen Carr provides the burst, Jaxon Kohler has made a major leap as a rebounder and – well, you get the point. 

This Michigan State team fits the famous Aristotle phrase: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” 

And with Izzo sitting at 350 Big Ten victories, just three shy of tying Bob Knight’s all-time record of 353 in conference play, the stars have aligned for a fitting and emotional 30th season for one of the all-time greats in college basketball history.

Earlier this week, FOX Sports went one-on-one with the Hall of Fame coach:

Having covered you and your teams, I know that you are never satisfied. What else are you looking at with your team right now? 

“We definitely have not shot the ball as well as I think we can. We’ve got some very good shooters, between guys like Jaden Akins and Jase Richardson, and even Tre Holloman. I think we’ve got some guys that can really put the ball in the basket. We haven’t shot as well from the 3-point line as I think we can and will, so that’s encouraging, but I’m also smart enough to know that in this league, you can go on a four or five-game losing streak as fast as you can say hello. So, I’m just trying to take it one game at a time, continue to stay grounded and try to stay focused on our defense and rebounding, and our free-throw shooting has been off the charts. The next step is improving that 3-point shooting.” 

In the last eight games, five different players have led your team in scoring. That’s not something that you can say for a lot of teams in college basketball at this stage in the season. How much does that please you to see the way this group has come together rather than it being just 1-2 guys doing the heavy lifting? 

“We’ve had eight different leading scorers in a game this season, which I’ve never had in my 30-year head coaching career. What makes me most proud about it is that they actually pull for one another in this day where I think our world has gotten to be more selfish, where it’s more all about me. But this team has been all about we and us. It’s been interesting. This time in my career has been very rewarding, and yet, we’ll see if we can keep it going now and that’s going to be the big key. You know, sooner or later, look at Illinois. They’re really good and may be the best team in our league, and we found a way to win. Last year, we found a way to lose five games down the stretch. Free-throw shooting has been a big factor to our success because we’re getting to the line more than ever, and we’re shooting over 81%, which is phenomenal.”

In the midst of the Illinois game on Sunday, which went down to the wire, or in the midst of any critical situation for that matter, which player is the leader in your huddles? Who is driving this team in the locker room to be their very best?

“Jeremy Fears has done a lot of that, but even that’s been a little bit more by-committee than you would think with different guys. It’s kind of fun when you have a team and you have some of those guys like Jase [Richardson], who has played against all the great players in the recruiting ranks, and he knows the scouting report. He gets fired up for a game. Then, you’ve got seniors who have been through so many wars over the years with these guys, so I’ve actually had different guys step up this year. That’s not always comforting because you ask yourself if you have one guy you can constantly go to or one key guy that can get you that big bucket, and sometimes that’s not true with this team. But, the other side of it is the fact that the guy on the other end coaching doesn’t know who I’m going to either. So, sometimes it works to your advantage.” 

When we look back at Sunday, how about Tre Holloman? He had 17 points in the win and has scored 27 in the last two games. In what ways have you seen Tre take those next steps? 

“Tre has definitely taken some steps for us, having played both the point and at the 2-guard for us. He’s a very good defender when he wants to be, and I think he’s finding that niche of going quick, but not hurrying. I think at times earlier in his career, he could get out of control and I think he’s doing a better job of playing under control. When you play the point some, you can’t get out of control at all. Sometimes, at the 2, he wasn’t shooting the ball well at all early on in the season from 3-point range, and now that’s starting to improve. Now, we need to maintain that. I think we’ve got some pretty good guards in Fears, Holloman, Richardson and Akins. Those four guys, you can move them around, and they all bring something different to the table and I think they’re all very effective. They’ve really worked well together and the egos have been put aside, and as a result, it’s been really fun to watch them grow together.”

I have to ask you about your four-star freshman Jase Richardson, the son of Jason. How would you characterize Jase? What comes to mind when you think about him, the player and the person?

“He’s been a dream of a kid coming into our program. He’s as good as it gets. He works on his game tirelessly and he cares about everybody in our program. Everybody. He’s incredibly intelligent and can speak more than a couple of languages. We went over to Spain and he could do anything that you wanted him to do. But as a player, I think the word would be incredibly ‘efficient.’ He knows how to pass the ball so well and he gives it up early – sometimes too early – and what we’ve got to do now is with his efficiency (56% FG, 41% from 3), we’ve got to get him more shots, and he has to take more shots because he’s a very good shooter. But he’s very good with the ball. He can distribute it. He has a wonderful sense of things and I think his second half of the season will be a lot better than his first half. Some of that is us getting a full feel for him and some of it is him getting a feel for college basketball. He’s been an exciting kid to have here because I think his ceiling is extremely high and I think he’s going to be a great player at Michigan State.” 

I’ll turn the page now to the senior, Jaden Akins. I remember hearing you in the fall at Big Ten Media Day talking about the spotlight being on him with Tyson Walker, Malik Hall and A.J. Hoggard gone. When you think of Jaden’s development into this role, how would you describe his impact? 

“I think there’s a couple of big things with him and one is that he gained 10 pounds over the summer. He needed to get stronger and bigger, and he did that. He’s become a better defensive player, he’s become better with the basketball. And he’s a career 37% 3-point shooter and that’s where he’s struggled a little bit more than normal this year (28% on season), but as that comes, and he’s starting to shoot it better over the last few weeks, I think he has a chance to be a great two-way player. Not all great shooters are also like that on the defensive end, and he can be that.” 

You said this team is very unselfish. In a world where college basketball can be very transactional and NIL-driven, how do you and your staff get to a point where you’ve got that selfless nature created in your room? 

“Well, we’ve tried to do things that build all of that. I took the team to Spain over the summer. We went back to Northern Michigan, my alma mater, for an exhibition game. We’ve gone to Tigers, Lions and Pistons games. I’ve tried to do more and that’s because the transfer portal has made us such transactional organizations, as you said. But I’m still a relationship-based coach and I think relationships are extremely important. And so we do try to do a lot of things together, and you also have to give the players credit for having a bond. We try to put them in a position, but they are the ones doing the work. And man, it’s been great watching them grow in that respect.

We’ve still got 13 games to go in this league and that part worries me. I think you’re seeing teams that are very good, like UCLA, that went through some struggles, but now they’re coming back a little bit. I think everybody is going to go through some ups and downs, and we’ve obviously been up, but what will happen when things go down a little bit? Are we strong enough to handle that? Everybody can be good when you’re winning, and I hope we keep winning, but the realistic part of the whole thing is that there will be some highs and lows to a season.

Last week, 19 of the top 25 got beat. Gonzaga lost at home. I mean, that’s un-American! A variety of teams have had some ups and downs, maybe more so than I’ve seen week to week in this sport in a long time. So we have to be ready for anything.” 

You have 350 Big Ten Conference wins. You are three shy of Bob Knight’s all-time record in the league. How would you reflect on the thought of breaking that milestone? 

“You know, I’ve never really thought about it, and I’m not just saying that with humility. When I was coming up in this profession, it was Bob Knight, John Thompson and Gene Keady that you idolized. To be in the same breath with a guy like that? Bob was great to me and I have so much respect and admiration for him and what he’s done.

I look at it in a variety of ways. For starters, we play more conference games now than they used to and, secondly, I’ve spent one more year at my school than he did (1971-2000). If I’m lucky enough to accomplish it, it’s a great accomplishment. But all of these records are different now because there’s nothing that’s exactly alike, but I guess I realize how lucky I am to have coached the number of guys that won games for me because, believe it or not, I didn’t win a game. I didn’t make a shot nor did I assist on one. And, they’ve done an unbelievable job for me, and now we’ve put ourselves in a position where, who knows, it could happen or it could not happen. 

There are a lot of wins ahead, or so I hope, and there are probably a lot of losses ahead. So, I’m just going to take it game by game. I was a Bob Knight fan and to think that we here at Michigan State could accomplish something like that is mind-boggling to me and wilder than anything I thought it could be when I got into this profession. It supersedes all my dreams and goals. 

You bring up the fact that 19 of the AP Top 25 teams lost last week and that’s the fun of this sport. 

“Well, it’s fun for everybody watching. It’s stressful for us!” (laughter)

But, I have to imagine this is better for you than what the offseason can bring in this sport? 

“Absolutely. That’s absolutely right.”

How do we get a point of sanity in the world of college basketball when it comes to offseason chaos, the portal and NIL?

“I’ll be honest with you, John. I was on a lot of boards and committees. Just this week, Jay Wright saw us practice, and I was talking with him about the different committees we were on as the sport’s changes all started. It scares me a little bit, but I’ve just kind of decided that, for me, I’m kind of off those committees now, and I didn’t like the way that it was handled. I’m not sure anybody at the top of our profession did a very good job. I’m all for players getting paid something, and I’m all for some sanity with transfers, but I’ve chosen not to talk much about it anymore because I don’t think people understand the unintended consequences with these things. 

So, I’m just going to keep trying to do my job the best I can. The day that we are a transactional program at Michigan State, I won’t be here. Relationships are everything to me. I’ve been so fortunate, from Mateen Cleaves to Draymond Green to Cassius Winston to Miles Bridges and Jaren Jackson, those relationships that still take place every summer when they call and I call them, I worry about what that’s going to be like for players who are at several different schools. That said, I’ve got to do my job and adjust, but not totally change, that’s for sure.”

Do you ever think about retirement? 

“It’s really funny because I should be doing that. Everybody should be doing that because I think you have to have a plan. Unfortunately, with everything that’s happened the last five years with COVID and the major changes, I haven’t had time to think about retirement. I look at good friends of mine with Jay Wright and Tony Bennett, and there’s nobody better than Nick Saban, who kind of shocked me and shocked the world when he retired. But I know this: the two things I look at are staying too long. If I’m not doing my job and developing young men, then there’s no reason I should still be doing this. The other thing is the relationships piece. If that’s not important to this whole process, then I won’t continue to do it. But right now, I’m too stubborn. I feel good about where I’m at, and I feel this team has helped excite me. I really mean that. It’s been good. 

I know I’m beating around the bush and I probably will think about it after I talk to you. I think you have to have a plan – and I’ve talked with Mark Few, Rick Barnes and even guys like Matt Painter about it – because jobs are hard, and they’ve gotten harder over the years. But, it will work out. It’s good for me to think about it because I want to make sure I do it the way that I want to do it. I want to make sure whenever it ends, it ends the right way for both me and the kids I’m coaching. But I love this team and what we are doing this year.” 

If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would you take out to dinner? 

“Well, the first has to be Muhammad Ali. We were invited to his place after we won the national championship game. He came out for that game and going to his place was one of the thrills of my life. He’s such an intriguing man. Another person who I enjoyed, who was so good to me, that I’d have loved to spend more time with is John Thompson. He was larger than life. And, the third guy I’d like to go to dinner with is my dad, Carl. I’d love to have him at that dinner.”

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him at @John_Fanta.

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