After exit meetings, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo hopeful about 'keeping crew together'

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo would normally be heading to the Final Four at this time of year, whether his team qualified or not. But this year, Izzo is staying home.

Head coaches, and many assistants, traditionally travel to the Final Four to watch the games with colleagues, do some networking and maybe blow off some steam.

“I decided not to go this year for a variety of reasons,” Izzo said on Thursday during a guest spot on the “Staudt on Sports” radio show, which airs on weekdays from 10 am to 1 pm on WFVN-AM 730 in Lansing. “Usually you get a little time off at this time, but with the way everything is going, there is none of that.”

The difficult puzzle of roster management requires time and attention from a coaching staff beginning the minute their season ends. That’s been true for Izzo and Michigan State this week. 

“It is interesting, but it is what it is, so you adjust,” Izzo said.

On Wednesday, sophomore wing Pierre Brooks announced he is leaving Michigan State to enter the transfer portal. 

Brooks, a former Mr. Basketball Award winner in the state of Michigan, fell out of the playing group in the last third of the season. His departure was not a surprise.

“Hey, we love Pierre and sometimes every place is not for everybody,” Izzo said. “So everybody should have the ability to transfer, but to be able to transfer and be eligible to immediately … right now we have total free agency every day.”

MICHIGAN STATE’S TOM IZZO RELATIVELY CONFIDENT

Izzo had exit meetings with each of his players this week, and feels good about the short-term and long-term future.

“I’m relatively confident,” Izzo said. “What time is it? It’s 12:13. At least until 12:15, I’m really confident that I’m going to keep my job and those guys want to be back. But things change. They really do.

“Put it this way: My meetings went well and everything. I feel really good about my guys. But in all honestly, I don’t think there is a coach in America that has any clue what’s going on, and that’s sad.”

Senior combo guard Tyson Walker and senior wing Malik Hall are considering returning for an extra year of eligibility. 

Sources tell SpartanMag that the possibilities of Walker returning have crept above 50 percent, if not well above 50.

Hall’s decision to return could be affected by which players come back to Michigan State. 

Senior forward Joey Hauser said late in the season that he likely will not petition for an extra year of eligibility. He also said, “Never say never.”

Izzo didn’t speak about any returning players individually.

“You have to meet with your players, figure out who’s here, who’s coming, who’s going, what’s out there, what’s going on,” Izzo said. “There are so many things that have changed in the last three or four years, most of it is all these stupid rules that have changed the game – the transfers, the NIL. I’m working on NIL stuff today.”

Last year, Michigan State was surprised by Julius Marble’s abrupt decision on April 19, 2022 to leave Michigan State and enter the transfer portal. He eventually landed at Texas A&M, closer to his Dallas home.

“If we can keep our crew together, I think we have a chance to be really, really good next year,” Izzo said. “For that, I’m grateful and looking forward to it and we’ll see what happens in the near future.”

Izzo is likely paranoid about other programs coming after players such as Tre Holloman, Jaden Akins and possibly even Hall. 

“The guy from Kansas State that made all those 3s against us, the big guy (Ismael Massoud), the next day, he didn’t play very good and the next day he’s in the portal,” Izzo said. “That’s just the way it is. Thank God right now I don’t have much of that.

“I’ve heard some things at Minnesota where those guys are complaining about what happens in the handshake lines.”

The insinuation is that coaching staff members “bump” opposing players in the handshake line for the purpose of gaining transfer interest. 

“This is where we’re heading,” Izzo said. “Pretty soon coaches will hate coaches. And it’s kind of an ugly part of the underbelly of all this stuff.”

Izzo took the opportunity during his guest appearance on the radio show to stump for reform, which he knows isn’t likely to happen.

“It makes it difficult for the coaches in roster management of course,” he said. “Nobody wants to feel sorry for the coaches or the schools because everybody thinks they make so much money and the players should have the freedom to do what they want, but there is a responsibility with that freedom.

“I’ve said the whole time in the end the players are going to lose out. You are seeing the ugly side of it. 

“What people don’t realize, and I hope people realize, is that this isn’t as good for the players as everybody thinks. Freedom in our country is great, but freedom to make decisions when you’re 18 or 15 or 21, those are not always good moves. 

“You know how I feel about the rules. More important than damaging college sports is it’s going to damage the kids. There are kids that are on their third and fourth school. 

“Right now you have lawyers and agents in the high schools and stuff that is just insane. 

“It is what it is and right now I still feel great about the guys I’ve got. I still feel great that I have a chance to change peoples’ lives. I get a chance to lead a program and an institution that I’ve loved for almost 40 years now. But pretty soon coaches are going to be running people off and doing things that we’ve never seen done. We have some teams in our league go through that last year. Not here, thank God, not here, so far.”

IZZO: MICHIGAN STATE HAD ‘PRETTY GOOD YEAR’

Kansas State, Miami and others that went far in the NCAA Tournament benefitted from the transfer portal. Izzo didn’t deny that.

“You can say so, but you can say that it didn’t work out for other teams that were pretty talented,” Izzo said. “I can think of a couple in our league that I won’t mention that it really hurt.”

Michigan State went 21-13 and finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten this season. The Spartans advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 15th time in Izzo’s career and the 21st time in school history. 

“I feel fortunate that I think we had a pretty good year,” Izzo said. “People say, ‘You had a great year, you were the last Big Ten team (alive).’ No we didn’t. We didn’t win enough games during the year. 

“But I think of some of the injuries and things and the good teams, it was tough. But I felt pretty good about how our team got better. 

“I think the guys have been great. We have a great bunch of guys. We have kept them all together the best we can. We have stayed pretty home-grown. Am I going to be able to do that in the future? I don’t know. I just know that I enjoy that, enjoy the relationships. 

“And maybe that’s the best thing I can say to make people understand is I would rather we have it relationship-based where maybe the community appreciates some of these guys and that they are lasting relationships rather than just being transactional six or eight months and then they go.

“I still love my job. It was fun to sit down with the different guys in the last two days and hear what some of them said and hear how positive they were about some things.