Tom Izzo addresses potential retirement timeline, sets future goals

Some of the top college basketball coaches in the modern era have stepped down from their posts in recent years. Roy Williams left North Carolina in 2021, while Jay Wright and Mike Krzyzewski are gone from their respective programs. Michigan State‘s Tom Izzo is not one of those and he does not seem to be heading out anytime soon.

Izzo addressed a potential retirement timeline during Wednesday’s Big Ten basketball Media Days, first comparing himself to his peers. He said he still has “a lot of years” before catching somebody such as Coach K or even Syracuse‘s Jim Boeheim, in his opinion.

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“I look at it and I got a lot of years to go to catch Coach K,” Izzo said. “I’ve got a lot, lot, lot of years to catch Jim Boeheim. Friends of mine like Tubby (Smith) and Roy (Williams) decided but I got some years to catch them too. I’m not quite as old as those guys but I have definitely passed by Jay Wright, one of my good friends, and a great guy in our profession.”

As for when he knows retirement will be the right call, Izzo said Wright is somebody he’ll look at. Wright left Villanova after not wanting to consistently be on the grind that is college basketball these days. Izzo says he’s nowhere near losing that spark just yet.

“I’m going to do it like Jay did. When it’s time that I don’t enjoy it or when it’s time that I can’t take a red-eye from Vegas to Orlando, it will be time to get out. That is not where I am at right now in any way, shape, or form.”

Tom Izzo looking to accomplish things with Michigan State, Big Ten

College basketball has presented a few challenges over the past couple of seasons, with COVID-19 being a huge one. Izzo has decided to look well past those, saying he’s now setting new goals not only for Michigan State but the Big Ten as a whole.

“In fact, going through what we went through a couple years ago at Michigan State. The COVID, I’m looking at just the opposite. I’ve got some things that I’d like to accomplish as a coach. For Michigan State. I think our league, we have to win another Big Ten Championship. We meaning Michigan State but we meaning the Big Ten.”

Izzo himself and Michigan State were the last Big Ten program to win a national championship in 2000. Maryland got one two years later but at the time, was a member of the ACC. For such a proud basketball conference, a two-decade-plus drought has been brutal for the Big Ten.

Izzo wants to change that.

‘Exciting’ times ahead with Michigan State, Big Ten

The desire to want to continue from Izzo seems to stem from what he sees in the future. At Michigan State, he gave a shoutout to both athletic director Allan Haller and football head coach Mel Tucker. Izzo thinks there are some things “to build on” in East Lansing.

“I think there’s some exciting things with our league that are happening on campus. New athletic director Alan Haller and Mel Tucker. I think we got some great things there to build on. So, I would like to make our university better, my program better.”

Izzo is a big proponent of the Big Ten as well, wanting to help the conference grow. Conference realignment with the addition of USC and UCLA will certainly help not just in basketball but football and other Olympic sports.

“You know what, I’ve been in this league so long that I would like to continue to grow the Big Ten into what could be the greatest — I think is greatest basketball — but I think could be greatest conference in the country in all sports. I got a while. you got to put up with me a little while longer or better yet, I got to put up with you for a little while longer.”

Michigan State most likely faces its toughest challenge yet under Izzo, having one of the hardest schedules in college basketball. There will not be too many days off for the Spartans. Thankfully for them, their head coach has no plans of slowing down and will be there to lead.