Tom Izzo: A Man Among Boys

What Tom Izzo has done as coach of the Michigan State Spartans can be summed up in one word: miraculous. Just how good is Izzo? In his thirteen-year tenure at Michigan State he has taken his Spartans to six final fours. In those 13 years, Izzo boasts a 77% winning percentage and 35 wins in the tournament. The Spartans’ appearance at the final four this year means that every upperclassman Izzo has coached at Michigan State has enjoyed at least one visit to the final four. No wonder Izzo has been able to recruit so many McDonald’s All-Americans; who doesn’t want to play for a guy who can come into your living room and promise you a final four appearance?

Izzo has done some amazing coaching in past tournaments, but nothing compares to this year. The basketball gods did everything they could to keep Izzo out of the final four: his team was underseeded, placed in the region of death, and lost its star player Kalin Lucas in the second round. Yet, somehow Tom Izzo managed to perform another March miracle to get his team to the final four. So, now you are wondering, how does this guy not crack the top ten list of highest paid college basketball coaches? The answer is that Tom Izzo, unlike a lot of coaches, is a stand-up guy who cares more about his players than his next paycheck.

If a sleazy coach like John Calipari--who has had 1/10 of the success of Izzo with twice the talent--had Izzo-like accolades, he would be chomping at the bit to go to whatever school offered him the most money (he would have also racked up a few recruiting violations and ruined a few programs along the way). On the other hand, Tom Izzo is a coach who wants to see his players succeed on and off the court. Izzo has seen 12 of his Spartan players drafted into the NBA, and, in an era of college sports where the term “Student-Athlete” seems to have no meaning, has graduated 88% of his players that complete eligibility.

And who knows, maybe after this season Izzo will accept Oregon’s reported offer that will make him the highest paid coach ever (which I won’t mind, as I am a member of the Quack Attack Nation). Even if he does accept the bigger check, I guarantee you this: Tom Izzo will continue to invest time in his players, and I don’t expect to see him spending his extra money on fancy cars and excessive material things. Tom Izzo is very active in the community, always donating money to charitable organizations. In fact, just last year Izzo was presented with the Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award, recognizing his work in helping those suffering from cancer. It is always nice when good guys like Tom Izzo come out on top.

-The Southern Gentleman

Hoosiers Part 2: Gordon Hayward and Company

I think we have all seen the classic sports movie “Hoosiers” (with the exception of my ignorant co-writer the Breeneback) about a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship. On the back of Jimmy Chitwood, Hickory High School is able to overcome overwhelming odds to beat a deeper and more athletic South Bend team. This movie is also the story of the Butler Bulldogs, who have proven time and time again this year that they are a better basketball team than the big schools with big money. Every day the Bulldogs walk into practice on the same court where Hoosiers was filmed, which is also a mere 6 miles away from where the Bulldogs will play their final four game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Fortunately, the Bulldogs also have their own Jimmy Chitwood in guard/forward Gordon Hayward, who has been so originally nicknamed baby faced assassin (pictured left).
Sure I knew Gordon Hayward was a good college basketball player when he was honored as the Horizon League Player of the Year this year, but until I watched him play against Syracuse and Kansas State, I didn’t understand just how good he really is. Hayward is arguably the most versatile player in college basketball this year and he has his father to thank for that. Both of Gordon’s parents are 5’9” so when he was growing up his father, believing that Gordon was destined to be short too, pushed his son to work on his guard skill set. To everyone’s surprise, Gordon actually grew to be 6’9” 207 pounds. So Gordon Hayward is a guard in the body of a power forward. How many power forwards can do this: (look at what he does at the 35 second mark)

These Hoosier teams are similar in their commitment to solid fundamental defense and just playing old school basketball. Having a dad who is a basketball coach who always preaches the old school style of basketball, I can’t help but appreciate what Butler does on the defensive end. The art of the box out is lost among most basketball teams across the country; now it is all about out jumping the guy on the other team. But Butler did a great job blocking out yesterday, enabling them to outrebound a bigger, more athletic Kansas State team 36-27. As for the man defense Butler runs the majority of the game, it is the best team defense I have seen all year. The Bulldogs are very disciplined and, as a result, have very few breakdowns and give up very few easy buckets.
As much as the Bulldogs have screwed my bracket over (I had UTEP upsetting them in the first round), they are my new favorite team in the tournament. Butler plays basketball the way it is supposed to be played, and the players have great (humble) attitudes that you never see anymore these days. Don’t be surprised if the Butler Bulldogs finish with a storybook ending and cut down the nets in Indy. Also, watch for Brad Stevens to continue to out coach whomever they face. He is only 33, but trust me, Brad Stevens has a very long, successful career ahead of him in basketball. Who knows, he may even draw up the “picket fence” to get Hayward an open shot to win a game.

-The Southern Gentleman