Tom Izzo Addresses Retirement Rumors with Draymond Green
College basketball has seen a changing of the guard in recent years. With all the great coaches in college basketball recently calling it quits, many have wondered if Tom Izzo will be one of the next to hang up the whistle. In the past couple of years, the college basketball world has seen Roy Williams, Jay Wright and Mike Krzyzewski finally step away from coaching. However, the Michigan State basketball coach addressed those retirement concerns on Draymond Green’s podcast.
As a guest on Green’s podcast, the legendary coach was asked how much longer he has coaching. Izzo quelled the rumors of a possible retirement in the immediate future, setting Spartan fans at ease.
“I’ve watched some guys stay a year or two too long,” Izzo said. “The day I feel like I don’t want to take red eyes, I don’t want to go out recruiting, I don’t want to have meetings in my office… I’m gone. And if I’m not, I know you’ll tell me. ‘It’s time.’”
Later on in the podcast, Izzo brought up the recent success within Michigan State’s athletic department as a reason for his newfound energy.
“I am rejuvenated. Right now, the campus, it’s electric right now,” Izzo said. “Mel (Tucker) has done an excellent job. We’ve put $70 million into football. We just put a bunch into hockey. We got cranes in the sky again. We got students walking. Two years of COVID. Two-and-a-half years, we had nobody walking around … I’m energized by that.”
The legacy of Tom Izzo
Izzo has been the face of the Michigan State basketball program for almost three decades and is going into his 27th year at the school. While in East Lansing, the 67-year-old coach has racked up a record of 666-267, putting him 31st on the all-time win chart, one spot ahead of legendary UCLA coach John Wooden. The three-time Big Ten coach of the year has amassed a laundry list of accolades, none more notable than the Spartans’ NCAA Championship title in 2000 against Florida. During his tenure, Michigan State has eight Final Four appearances with a record of 53-23 in the NCAA Tournament. Izzo has also compiled 10 regular-season conference championships and six conference tournament championships.
During the podcast, Izzo mentioned recruiting as a determining factor in terms of wanting to step away and deciding when to retire. However, with the superb recruiting Izzo is doing, it sure looks like he will be staying for a couple of years at least. As of now, Michigan State’s 2023 recruiting class ranks second in all of college basketball. One of the main reasons is a key commitment from five-star Xavier Booker. Booker, a 6-foot-10 center, is the No. 3 overall player, according to the 247Sports Composite. Alongside Booker, Izzo has gained a verbal commitment from three other players in the top 75.
Of course no one knows how much longer Tom Izzo has in college basketball besides Izzo himself. With the college basketball world no longer having Williams, Coach K, and Wright actively coaching, Izzo and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim are the last few great coaches from that generation of basketball. How much longer does Izzo have left? Only time will tell.
