Tom Izzo Compares, Contrasts Spartan Legend Jason Richardson, Jase
Tom Izzo has now reached the point in his coaching career where he's coaching the son of one of his former players.
A quarter of a century after recruiting Michigan State basketball legend Jason Richardson, Izzo landed his son, Jase Richardson, a highly-touted recruit in his own right who has the potential to leave a lasting impact of his own on this program.
While asking Izzo about the situation at Big Ten Basketball Media Days, I used the word "surreal."
"'Surreal' is a polite way to say, 'Are you getting old?'" Izzo said. " ... Surreal is the truth, though. It's a great honor and a privilege, if you really think about it. If a dad didn't have a good time there, would he want his son going there? You think to yourself. But they are completely different. Jase is kind of a 1-2 guy, and his dad, Jason, was kind of a 3-4 guy when he got there, and then, he became a great shooter as time went on.
"They're both good athletes, but when Jace makes a dunk in practice, I say, 'You're about 2 feet below your dad, but you're getting there' because Jason was special in that respect. Both great guys. I always tease Jason that Jase is also an incredible student. Not that Jason wasn't a good student, but Jase is an incredible student. So they have some differences. Jase is a better shooter at the same age than Jason was.
But I love coaching Jase. He's been raised right. His mother, Jackie, coached, and she was a good player, too. So, it's good genes. Good genes."
Jason was part of Izzo's 2000 national title team his rookie year. He served as more of a rotational player at that point before breaking out the following year, becoming a consensus second-team All-American for the 2000-01 season. He helped lead the Spartans back to the Final Four, where they fell to Arizona in the semifinals.
Jason went on to have a 13-year NBA career after being selected with the fifth overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. He spent six years there before having stints with the Charlotte Bobcats, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers.
Jase was a four-star recruit out of Columbus High School in Miami Florida. According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, he was the No. 32 overall player and third-best combo guard in his class.
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