Tom Izzo shares fair standard for fans to expect from schools
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is preaching for fans across college sports to be a little more patient. After the Spartans handed Ohio State a 62-41 loss on Saturday, Izzo was asked about the Buckeyes’ struggles this season and what’s fair for fans to expect from their teams.
OSU dropped to 11-14 (3-11 Big Ten) with the loss and will likely miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. Izzo believes that has a lot to do with new faces on the team, but things will improve if fans are willing to wait.
“I think the hard part is they’ve got some good young players,” he said. “They really do. When you’re sitting there at the end of the year and thinking, ‘Somebody might go pro. Somebody might transfer. Somebody might give up his sixth year. What do I do? Who do I get?’ This is one of the problems I’ve said. I’ve been on every committee. Everybody thinks this is great for the freedom of the kids and obviously you’ve got too many. Then you want to blame the coach for that.
“These guys sitting next to you — some of them — and our fans, they’re blaming me for not going to the portal. Not getting more players. You know what it is is if you win you did the right thing and if you lose you did the wrong thing. (Holtmann)’s got some very good players. Very young players. I thought it was brilliant to start those guys. I really did. He had a recruiting class this year for next year that beat us out on a couple of guys.”
The Buckeyes brought in the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big Ten this past offseason according to On3 Consensus. Holtmann started three of those players Saturday against the Spartans in Brice Sensabaugh, Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle.
Tom Izzo knows that Ohio State isn’t the only place where fans can grow restless, and compared the situation to his own experience in East Lansing. He also mentioned how the past three years have made things especially difficult for coaches with the COVID season and rise of the transfer portal and NIL.
“If you look at the last three years at Michigan State, we were out in the first round,” he said. “We were out in the second round. We haven’t lived up to our standards either. COVID has done a lot to a lot of places. A lot of programs. I don’t know what fans expect. …We build the monster and then we’ve got to live with it. I’m just saying, understand that it has been a very difficult three years between COVID and guys coming back for fifth and sixth years. We’re playing guys who are 24 sometimes. Then you turn that around and the transfer portal and paying the players. It’s not as easy as you think.
“I would tell fans, ‘Be a little patient.’ If the recruiting quit going and this and that, I guess I’d be a little upset. But I do think (Holtmann)’s a good coach. He’s not my best friend. I’m not sticking up for my brother. I’m sticking up for coaches because I don’t think there’s any idea how difficult this is. I’m glad you said fans because I’m sure our fans aren’t real happy with me either. I understand that. I built the monster and I’m trying to feed the damn thing. But there’s a lot of reasons for a lot of things.”
At the same time, the transfer portal and NIL certainly aren’t going anywhere. Tom Izzo realizes that it is something he and many other coaches will have to adjust to, but is asking fans to be aware that process doesn’t happen overnight.
He also pointed out that in the Buckeyes’ case, they have been close in many of their losses. Nine of their 11 Big Ten losses have come by single digits. That is to say, they’re a lot closer than it might seem.
“Hopefully we get through this year and now the COVID stuff gets over so we know who everybody has,” Izzo said. “I think the transfer stuff will get worse. I really do. He knows. I know. I’ve got my big boy pants on. I know what expectations are. I looked at this was the first game where there was really a let down at the end. They had Purdue beat. So did we. Nobody cared. They’ve been in games, dog fights right now to the end. So have we. I know it’s win at all costs. I do understand that. But just think about it. You lose by one and you’re a dog. You win by one and you’re a hero. Your team probably played the same.
“That’s what’s difficult right now in our profession. …Anyway, I hope people are a little patient with all of us. And yet, I understand the job.”