Forget it.

“One of the most important things I ever learned came right from Coach Izzo, and I’ve taken it with me everywhere,” said Charlie Bell, a member of the 1998-2001 teams. “He stressed the importance of hard work — how nothing is ever just given to you. Everything you want, you have to earn. Whether it’s in the NBA or anywhere in life — you gotta go out and take it.”

Players have taken that killer-Izzo instinct with them on to the next level, while ex-MSU coaches move on to new programs, yet emulate MSU basketball as best they can.

“The thing that Tom does is he shows you how to build a total program,” said Dayton men’s basketball head coach Brian Gregory, who coached with Izzo for 10 seasons.

Gregory said Izzo not only strives for success on the court but makes sure to touch the lives of every individual involved in the program — above and beyond just the players.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t go back to stuff I learned from Coach Izzo,” Gregory said. “It’s more than just basketball X’s and O’s — there are so many aspects of building a program outside of basketball. If you don’t care about them, they will affect the team. Izzo cared — and now, so do I.”

Bell even said he’s stuck with the same shooting routine Izzo taught him.

“Not to mention I eat the same meal before every game like I did at Michigan State,” he said. “We read scouting reports and watched a lot of film — nothing has changed to this day.”

Whatever Izzo is doing, it’s working. In his 13-year reign, he’s tallied one national championship, four Big Ten regular-season championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles, four Final Four appearances, four National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-best 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

“It’s successful because of his passion and what he puts into the game,” senior guard Drew Neitzel said. “I’ve never seen someone put so much into it. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. You can’t ask for more out of a coach — one who will do anything to see you and the team get better.”

And in the midst of all those accomplishments, he and his staff made sure to keep everyone’s morale up, discussing problems before they ever got too heated.

“We all knew we could talk to the coaches about anything,” Bell said. “I used to sit there with Coach (Stan) Heath or (Mike) Garland — there was an open-door policy because they knew problems are going to come up. We had a coaching staff that had been through it all.”

And assistant head coach Mike Garland, who returned to Izzo’s staff this season after four years at Cleveland State and SMU, said Izzo’s regimen prepares athletes to bounce back from tough times on the hardwood and in life.

“Being able to bounce back and come back, we’re going to do that,” Garland said. “Our players have seen other Spartans groups turn their seasons around after losses. Izzo wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Many people who interact with Izzo agree — he loves his players and constantly looks out for their best interests. When he’s in the zone, he keeps tabs like a hawk — even from hundreds of miles away.

In the summer, if a certain player wasn’t doing what he was supposed to — while Izzo was recruiting — a not-so-pleasant incoming call would be in his immediate future.

“I got an earful once,” Bell said, laughing as he reminisced about his college years.

“But that’s just the way he is. He is relentless — he’s the best.”

Those turning on the TV for the first time to an MSU basketball game might see the 13-year head coach stomping up and down the sideline bickering at a referee or wrapping his arm around a player’s shoulders and immediately think — is this man absolutely crazy?

“He’s a relationship person, he truly cares about people,” Garland said. “He gets heated at times, but it’s a business. Here at MSU — it’s more than a business. It’s a personal business. His players would run through a brick wall for him. Tom Izzo cares about people and they do the same.”

When a team works as hard as the Spartans do, good things happen. Unity is a huge part of the Izzo system, and it’s all gelled so well because of the ability to hold each other accountable.

“There’s always been success because of blue-collar hard work,” Garland said. “We instill a blue-collar work ethic. It’s an expectation when you’re wearing the Green and White.”

Gregory said he admires Izzo because of how humble he’s stayed through it all.

“He has never got bigger than himself or the kids he coaches,” Gregory said. “That’s the most important thing.”

When asked to sum up Izzo’s never-say-die system in a few words, Bell immediately responded proudly: “Mentally and physically tough.”