Tom Izzo Chat Wrap
11/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 2, 2001
Welcome to ESPN.com's moderated chat room. On Friday, Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo hit chat to preview the upcoming college hoop season.
Izzo and the Spartans finished last season with only five losses.
Seventh-year head coach Tom Izzo has built quite an impressive resume with the Spartans : one NCAA Championship, four regular-season Big Ten Championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, three Final Four appearances and three National Coach of the Year awards. Not bad.
In his six years directing the Spartan programs Izzo has bumped his career coaching record to 148-53. On top of that, 79 percent of his players who completed their eligibility also left with a degree. In 2001, all five of MSU's seniors received their diplomas. Izzo's 148 wins over his first six seasons are the fourth most by any coach in his first six seasons in the history of college basketball. His .736 winning percentage ranks eighth among active coaches. And as the games get even bigger in the NCAA Tournament, Izzo is at his best winning at a clip of .842 to lead all active coaches with at least 10 tournament games coached. He ranks fourth in the history of the game, ahead of such legends as John Wooden and Phog Allen.
Michigan State is coming off a season where they finished the year with a 28-5 record and a No. 3 ranking. The Spartans lost in the NCAA Tournament national semifinal to Arizona 80-6.
If you missed Izzo's Nov. 2 chat, an edited transcript follows:
Tom Izzo: I am here and ready for your questions. Let's get started.
Jeff (Leawood): How good is your team?
Tom Izzo: If I could answer that I would be a better coach than I am. There are so many unknowns. We feel we can be pretty good as the season goes on. We have to withstand our tough early-season schedule and we can't afford any injuries. Those two things will be big factors in how good we are in Feb. and March.
Gregg (Sacramento): The year you won your first Big Ten title you were predicted to finish at or near the bottom. How does this year compare as far as talent and expectations? MSU alumni 1988
Tom Izzo: We have talked a lot about that year. The difference is the schedule wasn't as tough and we did have some experienced players. The question mark we have now is the eight players we have on scholarship. I think Marcus Taylor can have a monster year but the freshman have to come on and contribute. If not, we could be in trouble.
Jeff (Lansing): Coach, can you talk about how you keep a team focused after losing so many starters to graduation and the NBA.
Tom Izzo: It has been a little more difficult than normal. It is not the ones we lost to graduation but the three that got drafted last year. That is nine players that we lost that played a lot. So this will be a new experience for me and the team. I am looking forward to it in a sick kind of way but nervous about the unknown. Losing those nine players was the biggest loss any team has had to deal with in a lot of years.
Brandon: What do you think your chances of returning to the final four this year?
Tom Izzo: On paper they are very slim to be honest. But in '98 we were picked last in the league but went far. But if we can get better as the season goes along and we get into the tournament, we have a staff that can help us out a lot.
Guy Saginaw, Mi: Last years the team used a lot of inside/outside play with great post players. Do you think this years team will need to generate more offense with dribble penetration and kick outs?
Tom Izzo: Definitely. We have two guys that can really shoot it in Wolfe and Ballinger. We won't have the inside presence but Anagonye has improved tremendously so he is ready to fill that spot.
bill (Macomb): As a MSU alum, I know I will have to rely on Tom and the MSU basketball team to maintain my "sports pride". My question for Tom is: "How important is it for the freshman to have immediate success or will they be just fine even if they struggle at the beginning of the season?" THANKS COACH TOM!!
Tom Izzo: I think they will be fine but they will struggle. It is no secret that we need more from our freshman than most teams. We don't have the upper classmen to help overshadow those freshman mistakes. We have always had upperclassmen to help them along. So that will be different but I think our freshman are up to the challenge.
Ken (San Francisco): Tom, Why do you think your kids are tougher than other teams, allowing you to out-rebound, out-defend, and out-hustle other teams?
Tom Izzo: To be honest, we have had a lot of good players and ones that have some football background. Also I give a lot of credit to our staff and our trainers. We have emphasized conditioning and strength training to go with our rebounding and that has helped us win championships.
Brady (Battle Creek): With Randolf leaving early, the bulk of the play at the Center position will appear to fall on Anagonye. He has had a problem staying in the game because of foul trouble. How is this going to effect the Spartans this season?
Tom Izzo: If he maintains that problem, we will be in trouble. But I think he has really worked hard on analizing the game and has worked on getting smarter about the game and how to stay out of foul trouble. No question we need him to stay in games if we are going to win.
Mark (TX): Coach, how important is it to have a guy like Brian Gregory sitting on the bench next to you? I know you'd probably hate to see him go, but don't you think it's just a matter of time before a top program snatches him up (as a head coach)?
Tom Izzo: Definitely. I have been fortunate with my assistants, we have only had four leave. Brian has had a couple of opportunities but has chosen to stay. We have had a couple of guys leave for Div. I schools and I find that as a compliment. I think Brian's loyalty and work ethic has really helped build this program to where it is.
sparty707(east Lansing): coach what do we ahve to do to win our 5th straight big ten title and how many in a row can we get?
Tom Izzo: We have to hope the power goes out in Champaign and Iowa City. But we have to rebound and defend, and I don't think we get the credit we deserve for the offense we have put up the last couple of years. But defense is key and we are getting better. But with all our freshman it will take time but once they develop and learn our defensive system, we should be okay and that is what wins championships.
Tom Izzo: That is all the time I have for now. I appreciate the interest and I think our program has gotten to a championship level, but keeping it there is the hard part. We will have some growing pains as our young guys develop. That is something we all have to deal with it. But how we deal with it will determine what happens to this team come Feb. and March.
Thanks again for the questions. Take care.
