Valparaiso picked the wrong day to face Michigan State as they were routed 90-60 on Sunday. It was the game after Tom Izzo reamed out his squad for a sloppy performance against Toledo, and, oh yeah, Izzo was also going for his 340th victory as a Spartan, tying Jud Heathcote for first all-time in school history.
In Izzo’s 15 years at the helm, he has compiled a 340-137 record, five Big Ten titles, two Big Ten Tournament titles, five Final Four appearances and one National Championship.
And he’s done it all without the flashy McDonald’s All-Americans and shady recruiting (yes, I’m talking about you John Calipari). Instead, he’s gotten blue collar, hard working guys that happen to like to stay in college more than a year to buy into Michigan State basketball. Izzo’s teams have always relied on team chemistry, tough defense, rebounding and a gritty, grind-it-out style of play that’s done nothing but take his teams to late March.
And the good news, Spartan fans– Izzo is here to stay. He’s like Eliot Ness; impervious to corruption–untouchable. When NBA teams come knocking at his door, he will respectively decline. You’re never going to see him take that “once-in-a-lifetime, can’t pass up job” either, because he already has it. So when the Kentucky’s, Kansas’ and North Carolina’s try to strike while the Tom Izzo iron is hot, he will simply say “Thank you for the offer, but my home’s in East Lansing.” He’s a Michigan lifer, and when it’ all said and done, he’s going have a special place carved out for him amongst the greatest of all-time.
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