Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is on his way to his 16th Sweet 16 and is one of the last holdovers from college basketball’s old guard. But while he may have stuck it out through the introduction of NIL and new freedoms within the transfer portal, Izzo is fed up with how the NCAA is running things.
So when a reporter asked Izzo about how the Spartans are navigating the opening of the transfer portal this week in conjunction with preparing for Ole Miss in the tournament, it didn’t go over so well.
In an emotional, contentious 10-minute answer, Izzo ripped the reporter, the NCAA, and even ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
“I think it’s ridiculous that the NCAA or any other entity put these two things together that people like you have to ask these questions,” Izzo said. “And I value that you have to ask them, and I do get upset when people are talking to our kids about them.”
Led by freshman standout Jase Richardson, the Spartans were the Big Ten regular season champs and took care of business against Bryant and New Mexico to reach the Sweet 16.
After a long preamble, Izzo did finally give an answer. The 70-year-old head coach said his sole focus is the team’s next game, and intimated that it should be his players’ sole focus as well.
“Kids gotta do what they gotta do. And they’re really not doing what they gotta do, they’re doing what their parents or their agents are telling them to do,” Izzo added. “Because they’ve still gotta go to practice, be in the same locker room unless they leave the team. And I think that’s insane, I think it’s disgusting. But that’s my own personal opinion. We will always have an eye on the transfer portal.”
If the East Lansing fan base and local media want a coach who immediately goes into roster-building mode each March, Izzo said, “that’s not me.”
Speaking directly to the reporter, Izzo acknowledged some frustration. The 2000 NCAA champion coach offered to point the reporter toward other people in college hoops who are embracing the portal and could answer the question more peacefully.
“I’m going to apologize to you, but I am ticked off that you just asked me that right now, because I think that you just cheated me,” Izzo said. “So if I keep talking, I cheat my players. And I’ll cheat myself before I’ll cheat my players. So if you’ve got another question about the transfer portal, I can lift you a lot of schools you can call and ask them. They’ll probably have a better opinion.”
Before finally changing the subject and moving onto the next question as part of a 40-minute press conference, Izzo got a shot in at the First Take star and his nosy interview style.
While Izzo said he wishes his local media knew him well enough to not set him off, he understands they are always going to needle him.
“I think you should know me well enough,” Izzo said. “But I learned from Stephen A. and some a**holes, you have the right to ask the question.”
There’s a lot going on in Tom Izzo’s wide-ranging, charged response. Clearly, this is still a coach who loves his players and the spirit of coaching. But as much as any coach in the country — including those who already retired — the Michigan State head honcho sounds exhausted.
Beyond just taking a cheap shot at the NCAA, Tom Izzo explained that in committee discussion, head coaches’ voices are not heard. And he clearly believes parents and agents are manipulating college athletes. With no end in sight, Izzo’s frustration bubbled up during one of the busier weeks of the college hoops schedule.
