College basketball is about to start the 2024-25 season, and plenty of changes have occurred. One thing that hasn’t changed is the head coach at Michigan State. Tom Izzo heads into his 30th season as the head-man in East Lansing. The Hall of Fame coach hasn’t quite had the juice in recent years, as the Spartans have found themselves flirty with the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament. The struggles and the unwillingness to adapt to the transfer portal era, have had plenty of people questioning if he still has it.
Izzo’s offseason work and continued efforts to try and recruit some of the best talent in the country, certainly says he’s still got the drive to coach. That as well as his wanting to win a second National Championship has never been higher. For a coach who has led the Spartans to eight Final Fours, I’m pretty sure it’s his choice to say when he’s done.
GO GREEN pic.twitter.com/KkYwAsfCCr
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) October 22, 2024
Things aren’t getting any easier, with so many other high-level and legendary coaches hanging it up lately. Is Father Time catching up to Izzo?
Tom Izzo is a Coaching Legend, But How Much Gas Is Left
While Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, Roy Williams, and most recently Tony Bennett, left the game behind, Izzo has remained despite plenty of talk about him possibly losing his touch. Despite all that outside noise, Izzo has made it very clear that he’s not about to step away. Then again, Izzo isn’t one to let others speak for him. Sure the results haven’t quite been up to par the last four seasons or so, but Tom Izzo won’t go away without a fight.
Izzo made quite the comment after his Spartans fell in the second round against North Carolina last season.
” I’m getting back to a deeper run in this tournament or I’m going to die trying,” Izzo said. “I have to do a better job.”
The 30th Season Might Be the Most Important
Tom Izzo and the Spartans don’t have much in terms of real national expectations this season. They are an early projected seventh seed in the NCAA Tournament Bracketology according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. That’s right around where they have been the last two seasons. However this season plays out, it might be Izzo’s most important to date, especially if he wants to live up to the expectations he built. The expectation used to be that MSU would get to the Final Four at least once every four years. The Spartans haven’t been since 2019, that’s nearly six seasons ago. That’s also nearly the same amount of time since they were competing for a championship. Izzo has had some very special seasons, and I’m not completely writing him off yet. If he can’t succeed with players in the fold like Xavier Booker, Coen Carr, and Jeremy Fears Jr, then I don’t know what else to say.
Fired-Up Izzo Is a Scary Thing
The only thing that certainly isn’t going away anytime soon for Izzo is his passion. He’s still got fire, and he certainly has let some know that he’s far from done coaching. Izzo spoke recently at Michigan State basketball media day about the state of the program. According to Chris Solari from the Detroit Free Press, Izzo had plenty to talk about including how he still enjoys all the travel his team goes on and how he’s ready to play anyone, anyplace, at any time.
” I will say this: When I don’t do that and you hear I don’t do that, then you can start predicting and guessing,” Izzo said. ” But until then, all the ones that are out there wanting to use that, bring it on. Bring. It. On. Any and every day of the week, bring it on.”
The last bit of that seemed to be a shot at some rivals in the recruiting world. Izzo didn’t name-drop anyone, but he certainly implied other teams and coaches are using the retirement talk to impact recruiting. That’s one way to try and get over against a coach, but making Izzo mad probably won’t end well in the long run. Ultimately Izzo’s a competitive coach, and he’s certainly going to give it his all for however long he wants. No matter what I or anyone for that matter think.
