MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis issued a statement Wednesday following various media reports regarding the future of MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo.
If MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo decides not to take the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching job and stay at MSU until he retires, he will continued to be paid for five years as a consultant, MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis said Wednesday.
MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo has been contacted by the Cleveland Cavaliers regarding the organization’s head coach vacancy, newly introduced Cleveland general manager Chris Grant said at a press conference Tuesday. University officials and former player Charlie Bell said Tuesday they hope Izzo will stay in East Lansing.
MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis told the Associated Press on Monday that men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo has not been offered the head coaching position for the Cleveland Cavaliers but did confirm the team has interest in Izzo. Izzo has spurned offers from the NBA before and told ESPN’s Andy Katz last week that he wouldn’t leave for the NBA until he won another national championship. Cavaliers owner Dan GIlbert is an MSU graduate and has been interested in hiring Izzo for a long time.
Although it is one of the most recognizable student sections in college basketball, the Izzone typically went unnoticed on TV during Spartan basketball games. Instead of getting a glimpse of some of the 1,500 screaming students bouncing up and down, anyone watching the game more likely was going to see a section of alumni, family and recruits. Starting next season, though, the perspective will be slightly different for TV viewers, as the lower section of the Izzone along the sidelines will be moved to the other side, putting it front and center on TV.
For the past 10 years, the only thing more predictable than MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo making the Final Four about every other season is his name being thrown into the mix as a candidate for every high-profile coaching job in the country. So, if no school or franchise has been able to lure the Iron Mountain, Mich. native away from Spartan Country before, why would this time be any different?
In an effort to increase funds and also reward loyal and generous Spartan fans, the MSU athletic department is conducting a seat adjustment in Breslin Center for men’s basketball games effective in the 2010-11 season.
The MSU men’s basketball and men’s swimming teams received Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA on May 12 for garnering some of the best Academic Progress Rates in the country.
MSU will play Duke University Dec. 1 as part of the 12th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The teams will face off at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. It will be the second consecutive time MSU has played against a defending national champion in the Challenge.
No game was more exciting and meaningful than the Midwest Regional Championship game between the MSU men’s basketball team and Tennessee in St. Louis on March 28.
MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant balances being a mom and coach. Her life is busy, but her son, Tyler, keeps things in perspective.
Junior guard Durrell Summers will return for his senior season, MSU head coach Tom Izzo reportedly told The Associated Press on Friday.
MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant specifically is looking toward juniors Kalisha Keane, Brittney Thomas and Cetera Washington, along with sophomore Lykendra Johnson, to step in and become the new generation of leaders.
Junior guard Kalin Lucas has decided to return for his senior season, his father confirmed Tuesday. Kenneth Lucas said his son had talked with a few NBA general managers to see where his draft stock stood, but was leaning toward returning before Lucas suffered a season-ending Achilles injury.
MSU women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant was surprised when senior center Allyssa DeHaan wasn’t selected in the 2010 WNBA Draft last week.
If you charted the MSU men’s basketball team’s 2009-10 season, it might be off the Richter scale. The peaks and valleys and ebbs and flows were off the charts in a season that might have featured more high-to-low contrast than any in recent memory.
In the spirit of looking ahead, here’s my Preseason Big Ten Power Rankings for next year.
Indianapolis — All it took was seven ties, 15 lead changes and the most herculean of efforts from the Butler Bulldogs before the Duke Blue Devils could put a thrilling 61-59 victory in the books.
The NCAA Tournament is a funny thing in that all the buzzer beaters and out-of-body experiences change the way you think about the game. It reaches a point when seeds are thrown out the window and everybody — especially in a season that reflects more parity than any in recent memory — is on an even keel. Everybody gives you something to believe in.
Indianapolis — MSU’s struggles at the charity stripe (5-of-12 in the second half) and with the referees put the skids on unexpected run toward national championship Saturday.