Izzo cheers with fans as he makes his way out off the court after the Spartans win against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021.
In his 30th season leading the Spartans, Tom Izzo claimed his fourth Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
Senior Jaden Akins and freshman Jase Richardson earned third-team All-Big Ten honors, while assistant coach Doug Wojick was named Big Ten Assistant Coach of the Year. Richardson also made the All-Freshman team, while Akins secured a spot on the All-Defensive team. It marks Akins’ first career All-Big Ten selection.
At 70, Izzo is the oldest recipient of the Big Ten Coach of the Year award since its inception in 1974. Izzo guided the Spartans to a 25-5 record, a Big Ten title and their best season since 2018-19, when they reached the Final Four.
"You don’t win these without your staff and your players, they win the award," Izzo said. "We preach to our players all the time, if the team has success, the individuals within the team will have success."
Akins leads MSU in scoring with 12.9 points per game, shooting 40% from the field in 26.7 minutes per contest. Richardson, who surged in the second half of the season, ranks second in scoring with 11.6 points per game. A projected top-10 NBA draft pick, Richardson shoots 52% from the field and leads MSU in three-point percentage at 38.8%.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projects MSU as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament — its highest ranking all season. MSU climbed to No. 7 in Monday’s AP Top 25 poll.
MSU will face the winner of Oregon vs. Indiana on Friday at noon in the Big Ten Tournament. The tournament begins Wednesday, March 12, with Oregon and Indiana set to meet Thursday at noon.
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