Freshman point guard Brandon Cotton's defection from the MSU men's basketball team last week was a shocking revelation to head coach Tom Izzo, but it wasn't the first time a player surprised Izzo by leaving the team.
"Do I feel a little bit jilted? 100 percent," Izzo said, adding former Spartans Marcus Taylor and Erazem Lorbek gave him similar feelings after they left the team early for the NBA.
A week ago, Izzo announced Cotton's possible transfer. He later met with Cotton to discuss the situation. As of now, Cotton hasn't made a final decision about transferring, but he is not with the team.
"I think a lot of people maybe got in his ear," Izzo said. "A lot of people maybe getting involved instead of the few people that should've been involved."
The MSU basketball team has been forced to endure the premature loss of a handful of players since it won the 2000 National Championship. Along with the team's success came top-flight recruits from around the world, some with NBA aspirations that couldn't wait.
After the Spartans made it to the Final Four in 2001, forward Zach Randolph and guard Jason Richardson announced they were leaving the team early for the NBA Draft. This season, Randolph is averaging 22.2 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game for the Portland Trail Blazers; Richardson is averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Golden State Warriors.
Taylor left after the 2001-02 season and Lorbek left after last season.
Unlike Randolph and Richardson, Taylor and Lorbek have not found success in the NBA. In fact, they haven't even found a roster spot. Neither player is currently in the NBA.
Izzo said he wasn't surprised when Randolph and Richardson left early because he understood their situation. Cotton's decision to leave, though, reminds Izzo more of Taylor and Lorbek's departure.
"These things I don't feel like I was as big a part of them," he said.
This season has highlighted how damaging it can be for MSU when a player leaves early for the NBA. Izzo has been quite vocal in the difference Lorbek would make if he were on the team now.
"I did know that the 8-3, 9-3 start that I did envision was in serious damage the day he left," Izzo said.
Of course, it's impossible to predict how Cotton's departure will affect MSU in the future.
Cotton arrived at MSU as a highly touted recruit from Detroit DePorres, but has endured both personal and basketball-related problems in his short time at MSU.
He did not travel with the team for its Jan. 3 game at Syracuse because he went to a funeral for his uncle, who was shot and killed.
Early this season, Cotton sustained a stress fracture in his foot and the injury made it hard for him to get playing time. He played in only three games this season, averaging 1.0 point and 5.3 minutes per game.
"The only thing he said to me is he just didn't have the patience," Izzo said. "And I'm still trying to figure out
