Michigan State’s Tom Izzo on a Culture He Helped Build
Tom Izzo has been the head basketball coach at Michigan State since 1995 and recently was named the best coach of the decade by Big Ten Network.
Izzo is the longest-tenured coach in the conference, and during that time, he has created a consistent and successful culture. He's won four national coach of the year awards, reached eight Final Four's, won a national championship, and brought ten regular-season Big Ten titles to East Lansing.
Yet, he gives all the credit to his players.
"Well, I think it says a lot about the culture that maybe we've developed. That the Cleaves developed way back and now it's been continued through the Draymond's and the Valentine's and the Gary Harris's. Just the different guys in the whole 20-years since we won it," said Izzo via The Jim Rome Show.
Izzo always could create powerful bonds with his players, current and former.
More often than not, former Spartans make their way back to East Lansing, finding ways to be a part of the program.
However, potential new transfer rules may threaten the culture he helped build.
"I think culture is something that scares me with the new transfer rules, if they go through, and the way that kids are just bolting," said Izzo. "It's hard to develop a culture, and I think I've got a pretty good culture."
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