Spartan Legend Credits Izzo: 'I'm Glad I Went There'
The Michigan State Spartans have bred NBA talent for decades and since 1995, each one of those guys credit a lot of their success to their head coach, Tom Izzo. The latest to tip the cap to his former coach was two-time All-Star and 17-year NBA vet, Zach Randolph.
Randolph joined NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett on the "All The Smoke" podcast last week and discussed what it was like being taught by the legendary head coach, in his short time in East Lansing.
“I got the young coach Izzo… grabbing your jersey, spitting in your face, war drills… we had to wear pads you know what I mean?” -@MacBo50
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) October 18, 2024
Lord it was a different age of basketball when my dawg was at Michigan State 😤 But where we come from we needed that type of guidance 💯… pic.twitter.com/60r1BGcZWv
"How I was coached, Coach Izzo, he was hard on me, you know," Randolph said. "I got the young coach Izzo. Where, grabbing your jersey, spittin' in your face, like, 'Ahhh'. War drills, where we had to wear pads, you know what I mean? So, back in the day, what he did then, you can't do it now, so it's different. I'm glad I went there because he taught me a lot of discipline. Even though I was there for a short period of time, I still learned so much from him. We're still close to this day."
This is just one instance where a former player has given considerable credit to Izzo for his role in their young basketball careers.
Funny enough, much of what was said by Randolph on the podcast did not involve basketball fundamental teaching points. It was all about discipline, respect, and hardening his mentality to prepare him for the next level.
Randolph spent just one season with the Spartans before being drafted 19th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers. He was a massive recruiting success for Izzo even playing just one year with the program.
Nicknamed "Z-Bo," he would go on to play 17 years in the league, earning Most Improved Player in 2004 and All-NBA Third Team in 2011. He averaged 16.6 points and 9.1 rebounds over his 1,116-game career spanning across five different teams.
The new age of college basketball surely would not tolerate much of what Izzo's teaching styles involved 25-30 years ago, but the positive impact that it had on his players tells the tale of what that coaching style can do for a young athlete.
After just one season or many, every Spartan player that comes out of the program has two words for coach Izzo when leaving; 'Thank you'. Randolph knew very well that his college coach helped make him not just the player, but the man that he is today.
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