“He was special to Michigan State and special to me,” Tom Izzo says of his mentor Jud Heathcote during his annual conversation with Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon and Spartans Athletic Director Mark Hollis on MSU Today. “He taught me a lot of things. And some things I thought at the time that were crazy I keep saying to my secretary ‘now I know why Jud did that.’”
Izzo reflects on the October 20 dedication of Breslin Center’s Gilbert Pavilion and Tom Izzo Hall of History, Miles Bridges’ Sports Illustrated cover, and the October 29 charity game in Grand Rapids.
“The way the Michigan State people showed up for that in such a short period of time to me means we have a good program and not just a good team. If people respect your program, they show up for events like that.”
Izzo says he’s not really proud of college basketball right now and thinks some adjustments are in order.
“I think we have to get back to an education focus where the high schools have more to do with the recruiting process. We have to remember it’s still a small percentage of schools involved in any wrongdoing. Hopefully we’ll get this straightened out and we’ll be better for it.
“I think we have a good team, and I think it could be a great team. I have an unselfish team,” Izzo says of his 2017/2018 Spartans.
MSU Today airs Sunday afternoons at 4:00 on 94.5 FM and AM 870.