Tom Izzo
Tom Izzo
Thomas Michael Izzois an American college basketball coach. Since 1995, he has been the head coach for the Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, presiding over a prolonged period of success. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame...
ProfessionCoach
Date of Birth30 January 1955
CityIron Mountain, MI
early good great played
We didn't play great but we played good enough to win. This was a step. How big a step? It's too early to tell.
free good job
We did a pretty good job on a lot of guys, just free throws, free throws, free throws.
consider instead next recruiting select
When our recruiting changes, when we get to select instead of recruit, then I'll consider us in the next echelon.
areas good key last rotation shooting similar winning
Now that we've got our lineup straightened out the last month, our rotation may be similar to some of our real good teams, ... We're not as good defensively, we're not as good a rebounding team, but we're a much better shooting team. It's different, but it's got some similarities in areas that are key to winning championships.
anxious bad excitement home looking playing start worried
Now you start playing for the excitement of it. I'm not worried about it. I'm anxious to get home and start looking at some film and just see how bad I can look in the morning.
best catch davis doubt guards paul practices struggled tonight
No doubt our guards struggled. We made some big plays, and then we made some not-so-smart plays. It was a shame, because Paul Davis had two of the best practices of his life, and he just struggled tonight to even catch the ball.
anybody both brown downs ends people steady ups
Shannon Brown has probably been as steady as anybody on both ends of the court. He hasn't had the big ups and downs that some people have had. And he's the most vocal.
best brown controlled dunk knack occasion rising seen thrives
Shannon Brown does have a knack for rising to the occasion in big games. He kind of thrives on the pressure. When I told him he had to take over a little bit, he did it in such a controlled way - even with that dunk he had, one of the best I've ever seen here.
chance extremely felt foul hot
Mo was extremely hot early, and we felt that, with the lead, we couldn't take the chance of getting him in foul trouble.
anybody coached struggled wants win
Maurice has struggled lately. And (yet) I don't think there's anybody I've ever coached who wants to win more than he does.
broken hated knew lose people streak
There are times when I knew people hated to come in here. And once your streak is broken there's a difference. You're invincible, but once you lose there's a little chink in the armor.
finished product steps
Let's not anoint us as a finished product yet. But I like the steps we're taking.
fact finished fun players product steps
Let's not anoint us a finished product because we're not. But I like the steps we're taking. I like the fact that players are having some fun doing it.
concerned fast few good lose whenever
Whenever you lose a few games, especially when you have a pretty good team, you're concerned about how fast things can slide.