|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEMarch 27, 2012Tom IzzoCOACH IZZO:ﾃつ Good time of year.ﾃつ Football season starts.ﾃつ That means we're done.ﾃつ Looking back on the year, I've had a chance to number one watch the game, which I felt the same way now as I did the night of it.ﾃつ It was not one of our better performances, and, again, I'll give Louisville some credit for it.ﾃつ I think as you all kind of said, we were a product of the sum of our parts, and on that night we were in defeat a product of the same thing. We just had nobody play well, and our energy just did not seem to be there.ﾃつ I think it was more of a situation of accumulation of a long season where we played at an extremely high level a large amount of the time.ﾃつ I think we were playing our best basketball when it mattered.ﾃつ The last game against Ohio State here, the Big Ten tournament, the first two games of the NCAA Tournament.ﾃつ Then just did not have enough to carry on.ﾃつ Looked at the travel, looked at the different things.ﾃつ You know, we'll constantly work on that, so if we ever go out west again, I'll have a little better idea. But I don't think there was anything we could have changed and would have.ﾃつ I just think we got beat by a team and maybe we didn't match up with quite as well.ﾃつ We got beat by a team because we did not play as well. As a coach, I do know that they gave everything they had to give.ﾃつ That was good.ﾃつ I think whenever I speak corporately or anywhere else this year, I'll be able to use this team.ﾃつ That was one of Draymond and Austin's dreams.ﾃつ Quit talking about certain teams and I start talking about new teams.ﾃつ This team will be something that I think a lot of people should look at and realize talent isn't the only thing.ﾃつ You have to have chemistry.ﾃつ Chemistry and maybe a talent, maybe a talent in itself, a 7‑foot center or a great point guard.ﾃつ It's very important to have no matter what you're trying to accomplish in life, if you're trying to accomplish great things. Entering the season with just two players that have played 20 minutes a game or more, I thought guys like Brandon Wood who I pushed and pulled all season long, but to think of what he did in six or seven months or Austin Thornton with what he fought through half the year and where he came.ﾃつ I thought that Nix and Payne's improvement was dramatic.ﾃつ I think Nix taught a lot of our guys that of all the guy that's ran out of gas, as I watched the film and saw him walking around, I thought he ran out more than anybody.ﾃつ I was worried about that for half the year. I just thought that the April, May, June, July, August, September he had last year was like a season in itself.ﾃつ But I think we grew a lot.ﾃつ We learned a lot.ﾃつ We have somebody to point to say he really made some sacrifices, and that will be important.ﾃつ As far as the team goes, what do I say.ﾃつ We're ranked high in a lot of areas.ﾃつ In rebounding we're still ranked high.ﾃつ Our offense is up better than most, 29 wins was impressive.ﾃつ The ten Sweet 16 is now a milestone and I think we can continue to try to build on. But I think if I looked at some numbers that were the most important to me, it was playing 12 of the top 50 teams in the country and beating them.ﾃつ Half our games were against RPI top 50 teams.ﾃつ This year proved it was the toughest Big Ten schedule out there because of our one plays, and it was ranked one or two in the nation in strength of schedule or two or three in RPI.ﾃつ I think that speaks volumes. The 107 wins that Day‑Day and Austin accumulated over there in four years, fourth or fifth best in our history.ﾃつ The 39.9 field goal percentage was the best since the 50's when Judd was here.ﾃつ It was unbelievable.ﾃつ But I think we also ranked fairly high in some offensive skills, which was better for this team.ﾃつ I think it proved that our inside game, the improvement of it has been good. I think with some of the wins we've had early on the road, Purdue and Wisconsin and Gonzaga and Ohio State were monumental.ﾃつ There is no question that Draymond Green had a banner year, maybe one of the best in MSU history.ﾃつ If you look at all his stats and what he did, what he's first and third in, tenth in.ﾃつ They were all things that helped us win.ﾃつ But I thought he said it best that his teammates helped him accomplish. So what's next for us?ﾃつ We've had the best team we've had in a while because of summer improvement.ﾃつ Sacrifices made during the summer.ﾃつ I think we had it because we were together.ﾃつ We had great chemistry.ﾃつ We're looking for that kind of improvement or more this summer. We do think if you start the year and think about the three athletes that we didn't have at the end of the year that we had in August, meaning Anderson, who is probably the best athlete on our team, and of course, Delvon and of course B.J., we think we're going to be helped athletically by Gary Harris.ﾃつ If you watched any of the Class A or Class B State Championship team, you've got to give Sexton a lot of credit for the unselfishness. And it was led by their star, who I think will be coming here to be a very, very good player even as a freshman.ﾃつ That's Valentine.ﾃつ ﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつﾃつ I've never seen a player that passed the ball and was as unselfish.ﾃつ So hopefully he'll bring some of that to us.ﾃつ One of the joys I had was looking down and seeing Matt Costello in the stands.ﾃつ I text him and said, ﾃや弩hat are you doing here?ﾃや敕つ And his text back, because I heard he was there Friday night too, was, "I'm watching my new teammate win a State Championship to learn how it's done." I thought that spoke volumes for what we have coming in too.ﾃつ At the end of the year, Kenny Harris, and Kenny Kaminski were both up.ﾃつ Kenny who couldn't play all year at the end of the year did play in their tournament.ﾃつ He finally got well enough with his shoulder where he could go the last couple games of the regular season and played extremely well.ﾃつ One of my assistants saw him shoot the ball extremely well even after having eight weeks off. So we've got Mr.Basketball runner up, Mr.Basketball, who knows what's going to happen in Indiana, and of course Kenny was unable to play most of the year because of the injury. But we think we have an incredible class academically and athletically coming in.ﾃつ We have something that we needed.ﾃつ We got a big guy.ﾃつ We got a shooter.ﾃつ That's something we needed.ﾃつ We got an athlete.ﾃつ That's something we needed.ﾃつ And we got an incredible passer. So, again, if I don't screw them up we have a chance to be pretty good next year.ﾃつ The league will be interesting.ﾃつ It will be interesting to see who stays, who goes.ﾃつ If guys are leaving early or not, and I guess we'll look at that later on. Now after the long start, I'll take questions. Q.ﾃつ Wanted to ask you about the Nix‑Payne combination.ﾃつ They were very effective players playing about half the game.ﾃつ Is it realistic to expect that they can expand their playing time next year?ﾃつ Are you going to have to make up Draymond's minutes in other areas? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ No, I think you're going to see Payne's playing some four, and Nix playing some five.ﾃつ They'll play those two together.ﾃつ I don't believe we'll have a steady diet of that, but you never know.ﾃつ Adreian keeps telling me he can be a three, a two, a one.ﾃつ I think Adreian thinks he could be all of the above. So I just reminded him whenever you play those positions that you have to do it on both ends of the court.ﾃつ I think he decided he'd rather be a four or a five, when I said that. But I do think he can guard for them.ﾃつ He's athletic enough.ﾃつ As he works on it this summer, his improvement, and hopefully gaining another ten pounds.ﾃつ We hope to get Nix down to 260.ﾃつ That is our goal.ﾃつ We've already decided if we can do that, and he can do it early in the summer and live and grow with that new body, that will help him a lot too. What he went through last year, it's amazing he went as long as he could this winter because he had a season, as I said in April, May, June, July and August.ﾃつ So I do think you'll see them together.ﾃつ I think we'll be able to go with a smaller lineup.ﾃつ I think we'll get bird healthy.ﾃつ I think Austin can play a lot of positions.ﾃつ I think Valentine can play a variety of positions.ﾃつ It will be interesting to see how fast Costello can come around too, because he can shoot the ball. Believe it or not, I think the guy that's got to take one of the biggest steps this year is Gauna.ﾃつ He can really shoot it.ﾃつ He's got great post moves.ﾃつ He's just got to improve his defense and his rebounding.ﾃつ I think for the first time in our meeting together the other day, he's excited.ﾃつ I don't know if he accepted the fact that he probably wasn't going to play much behind those guys and that sometimes happens.ﾃつ But I saw a renewed figure.ﾃつ I think when you watch a Draymond go from where he was to where he is, and when you watch the national attention he's gotten, averaging only 15, 16 points.ﾃつ It's not like he averaged 25 points. I think it makes other people‑‑ I'm hoping we become the team that all the high schools and small colleges say if you just do this, this and this, you can become this because we did it as a team and as individual players. I used Robinson from Kansas, as an example.ﾃつ Guy that averaged five points or whatever last year, he's really expanded his game.ﾃつ The Thomas kid from Ohio State who we used to back off and say go ahead and shoot it you know?ﾃつ It's really up to players.ﾃつ If they want to get better in the summer, they can improve.ﾃつ I think Keith's going to have to improve his shooting lot.ﾃつ I think it's there, but he just got lost as he tried to change positions. But it will be a big, big summer.ﾃつ I think Nix and Payne will definitely play some together.ﾃつ Nix is an incredible passer, and Payne improved.ﾃつ Gauna is a pretty good passer.ﾃつ Costello is a very good passer.ﾃつ So I think we'll be able to do some things at that position. Q.ﾃつ Your last two teams had different chemistry issues.ﾃつ My question is how can your returning players learn from the two different models?ﾃつ They had a team last year without great chemistry that perhaps underachieved.ﾃつ They had a team this year with externally appeared to be great chemistry, and they overachieved.ﾃつ Does that have a ripple effect for the future? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ I think it does.ﾃつ It has a big effect.ﾃつ We could be the team that everybody should talk about.ﾃつ I don't on mean just talking about us, but the way we did it.ﾃつ The look at those two different models, chemistry and leadership are big keys.ﾃつ You might never have a leader like Draymond again.ﾃつ Once every 20 years, you know.ﾃつ We got one back in 13 years.ﾃつ So it happened again. But you hope the committee guys understood.ﾃつ The difference is those freshmen that have come in this year had something to really look at and figured this is the way it's supposed to be. You know, it happens sometimes for a lot of reasons.ﾃつ You know, it's nobody's fault.ﾃつ It's a lot of people's fault.ﾃつ We as coaches are going to be harping on that all spring.ﾃつ We're already going to vote on our captains early.ﾃつ Then we'll use this month to see who lives up to the responsibility that that rank gives them.ﾃつ Then we'll vote at the end before we go home, and that will be our captains. So we'll look at the workouts.ﾃつ Even though we don't have that long to do it, you've got to take a week off before finals.ﾃつ We've got to give them a good week here to recuperate.ﾃつ But in a couple weeks period of time, two or three, we'll see what they do in the weight room.ﾃつ Who is coming in, who is spending time.ﾃつ Who is trying to be a better teammate, who is trying to pick up the slack.ﾃつ I think that's going to be a critical part of this team.ﾃつ But we sure have a nice measuring stick to do that with now, and something to point at, and something to look at. I let Draymond and Austin know that they've still got a lot of work to do.ﾃつ Because before they leave here, I want to make sure that baton is passed and that torch is lit, so those guys not only know what to do, but start doing it. Q.ﾃつ On and off the court, can you talk about some of the guys that you hope can do some of the things that Draymond did? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ You know, it's an interesting dynamic here because two years ago I didn't know if Nix would be here, to be honest with you.ﾃつ His philosophy and mine were white and black.ﾃつ They were just completely different.ﾃつ I don't mean white and black racially, I mean white and black color. What I found out is right now, the guy who has made the most sacrifice on this current team has been Derrick.ﾃつ Two summers ago he lost a lot of weight.ﾃつ Not as much as he did last summer, but he gained some of it back, in fact a lot of it back.ﾃつ But at least he did sacrifice for two or three months. Last summer it was six months, five months, April, May, June, July, August, September to get where he wanted to be.ﾃつ And for the most part, boy, he stayed there. I told my team we can laugh, but Derrick was very close today, and I'm challenging him first because I know he sacrificed the most.ﾃつ I know Keith's going to have to step up a little bit.ﾃつ It's not in his personality.ﾃつ I'm interested to see if Trice can step up a little bit it is more in his personality.ﾃつ And him getting hurt in the end hurt us some too.ﾃつ And then it might have to be by committee a little bit.ﾃつ I don't think we'll have that one guy that signals everybody out.ﾃつ I think we have one guy that's sacrificed in the past, that's Nix, whether he can handle the pressure of that, that's what this month will be for. Q.ﾃつ Tom, after the Louisville loss, in the locker room it seemed that have you had an opportunity to talk to him about that game, and do you see that's a building block, building off those struggles in that game? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ I always said the hardest things to do for an athlete are teachers, are and a man in your job, or a woman in somebody else's is self‑evaluate and be able to take criticism in yourself.ﾃつ In other words, Magic Johnson.ﾃつ Every bad pass was my fault because he had enough confidence in himself, and he had enough understanding that taking blame is two‑fold. Number one, sometimes it's deserving.ﾃつ You should take blame because you were the one that made the mistake, and we're in a society where everybody passes blame.ﾃつ Number two, taking blame means you're confident enough in yourself that you can help somebody who is not as confident. So self-evaluation and the ability to take blame are incredible qualities if you're going to be successful.ﾃつ That will be answered in the next three to four weeks.ﾃつ Some people talk it, and some people walk it.ﾃつ I need people that talk it, then walk it. If he does that, then he takes another giant step.ﾃつ I think he will.ﾃつ He's competitive.ﾃつ He's tough enough.ﾃつ I think it wasn't all his fault.ﾃつ It's nobody's fault.ﾃつ That was the neat part about this.ﾃつ If you watched this, and Wright's sitting there, you take a look at the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.ﾃつ You didn't see the same kind of team collectively. ﾃつYou didn't see there were no problems, there were no bad practices.ﾃつ It wasn't like people weren't interested.ﾃつ It was just we were kind of‑‑ we just looked spent to me.ﾃつ Maybe some of that was the youth and having to play those guys.ﾃつ Those guys didn't play as well in the end either. I think most of it, to be honest with you, was the level we had to play at.ﾃつ We almost never could play average or even come close to winning.ﾃつ We had to play not great, but we had to play damn good and up to win.ﾃつ When you get into the games we played at the end of the year, we were playing at as high a level as you needed on both ends. So I think Keith being able to take blame means he's more confident.ﾃつ He's looking in the mirror and being able to self-evaluate. I love that.ﾃつ I think that's an awesome first step. Q.ﾃつ Is it Appling and Nix the two captains going into the month? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ There are no real captains yet.ﾃつ The team has probably ranked those two the highest right now.ﾃつ But there will be no decisions made on that until the last day of school so everybody's out for tryouts right now.ﾃつ It was a big thing of mine to have a captain.ﾃつ Then we went back to the oldest theory in the book which most coaches go to as your senior best players or your captain.ﾃつ That will never happen as long as I'm here again.ﾃつ It's not fair for the players.ﾃつ It's not fair for the guy that was named it that really doesn't want it or need that pressure. We're going to look at who does it, and I'm going to be evaluating.ﾃつ I brought my strength coach in, my trainer in, my assistant coaches, my video guy.ﾃつ We'll come in to see who watches film, who comes to rehab, who works his butt off in the weight room.ﾃつ Then my assistant coaches and I will put all that together.ﾃつ I'm hoping we all have a little vote in this to see who comes up as the best one or two candidates. Q.ﾃつ Will Draymond's number be retired?ﾃつ Any update on the foreign tour or where that's at? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ Foreign tour is something we'll work on this spring.ﾃつ It might be overseas, but it might be in Canada.ﾃつ I think this is a year where all the young players we've got, the freshmen and sophomores, it will be a great year to do it.ﾃつ Now that you can take your freshmen, I think it's a lot more conducive than three, four years ago when you couldn't.ﾃつ In the last two years you've been able to. So I'm going to be looking at that with real seriousness.ﾃつ The only problem with that is when you do that in August, it lengthens your season too.ﾃつ I think it was Judd, his first year they went somewhere with Magic, and he felt like that had some input on where they were at the end of the year.ﾃつ Those are the things you have to balance. But right now I think we need to get some playing time.ﾃつ Russell Byrd has to be able to play with our guys.ﾃつ Nix and Payne, see what they do together, see how those freshmen fit in.ﾃつ See if Kearney and Trice have made some improvements.ﾃつ Practice situations I think you get four games, and that would benefit this team. That is something that I would say has a great shot at it.ﾃつ There is a committee.ﾃつ There are criteria.ﾃつ But he's one of the big sticklers over time.ﾃつ It's not etched in stone, but neither is winning the outstanding player in the Big Ten.ﾃつ That's a big hurdle that eliminates some people that we'll be talking about with the committee that's involved with that.ﾃつ I know I would be thinking that it would be, yes. Q.ﾃつ When Majerus was talking about Draymond, he always said he's a great collegiate player.ﾃつ I was wondering what you're hearing about his draft stack and how his skills project to the NBA level? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ That's something I'm working on this week too.ﾃつ When I get down to the Final Four, I'll meet with NBA guys and meet with some GMs and trying to get an idea exactly where he's going to be.ﾃつ We're talking now about picking an agent and all the things he's going to be doing. But me personally, he's going to have to go to the right team.ﾃつ He's not going to be a draft pick of just everybody because he doesn't have that size or that speed or athleticism that unfortunately a lot of people get caught up. I'm still marveled at the NBA and the NFL about how a combine workout or testing of this because somebody puts the clock a little faster can make a difference.ﾃつ Makes me want to be a GM.ﾃつ I think I'd have a leg up on a lot of people.ﾃつ I marvel over that. If I had to sell Draymond, how many guys can do a multiple, many, many, many multiples of things, and who wins?ﾃつ Because at the end of the day, it's about winning.ﾃつ Who is going to get better?ﾃつ Who understands the game?ﾃつ There are so many. When they call me, they better call me sitting down, because I'm going to have a lot of things to say.ﾃつ It's going to take some time to say why I think he can play at the next level. But there will be no question he'll be in a group, I think, that he won't just be everybody's pick.ﾃつ There will be some teams lucky enough to get him, and when they do, I think he'll bring all those intangibles that will help teams win. He gets underrated.ﾃつ He's not the tallest guy, but he has long arms and a knack for the ball.ﾃつ Can't get as many rebounds as he's gotten, if you don't have a knack for the ball.ﾃつ So that will be what the next two weeks will be for for me, for him.ﾃつ But that process will be long yet because there will still be those camps and those different things where everybody puts so much stock in that will decide what his future is. Q.ﾃつ Look at the point guard position next year.ﾃつ Obviously Keith likes playing both.ﾃつ Travis could get better.ﾃつ I don't know if you think Denzel could get a few minutes there too.ﾃつ How do you see that shaking out at this point? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ First of all, Keith's got to make some big decision this is summer.ﾃつ He's going to work hard on his shooting and be a two‑guard or I think do what I think he's going to do and that's do both, but spend more time in the film room and understand that a point guard's job is to make other players better.ﾃつ The guard's job is to do a little bit of that, but be the recipient of somebody making you better. I think Trice, we haven't seen the real Travis Trice.ﾃつ The first part of the year he was learning the ropes, and just felt the beginning of the Big Ten season, a couple games in, he hurt that groin.ﾃつ Then a game later, he hurts the ankle and really missed, for all intents and purposes, the rest of the year as far as working out and getting better at what he needed to get better at. I think he has qualities to be able to score and be able to pass.ﾃつ He's going to have to get stronger in that.ﾃつ But in Denzel, right now I would call him my utility guy.ﾃつ I just think he can play one through four.ﾃつ Allen Anderson typish, except he already was a high school player works so hard on his game.ﾃつ Every day he's working out.ﾃつ We're going to continue to work on that body and try to make him a little quicker.ﾃつ Work on the shot.ﾃつ Try to shoot it better.ﾃつ But he has a couple intangibles:ﾃつ Intelligence, feel for the game, the ability to make other people around him better.ﾃつ He's day‑dayish as far as understanding the game. But his handle and his ability to pass the ball up the court, I don't want to put a lot of pressure on him, because you never know what's going to happen.ﾃつ His quickness will have to continuously improve.ﾃつ But he sees the court as good as anybody I've had here, watching him in high school.ﾃつ Anybody I've had here.ﾃつ As far as the passes he makes, and the unselfishness he has.ﾃつ There are a lot of guys that can make plays and make passes, and make other people better.ﾃつ But he can do it exactly when that guy needs it.ﾃつ Whether he's taking the ball out of bounds after the other team makes the basket, throwing it the length of the court.ﾃつ He doesn't need to make the spectacular pass.ﾃつ He can make the wraparound.ﾃつ Can he go behind his back, between his legs.ﾃつ He can do all those things, or he can make a real, simple, easy pass and enjoys both. I mean, I called Day‑Day a miniature, miniature, miniature Magic in a lot of ways.ﾃつ But Denzel has a lot of those qualities that I used to see in films of Irving because he's always got his head up.ﾃつ If you watch him play, his head is up from the minute he's about to get the ball. Meaning, the ball goes through the basket, and he's already got his head up looking at where he's going to outlet the ball to.ﾃつ If he's got the ball in his hands, he sees everybody, everything, and can make a simple pass.ﾃつ He's big enough to see over people. But his intelligence of the game right now is definitely his biggest asset.ﾃつ Yet he works hard enough at the game.ﾃつ He's got a good looking shot. He just needs reps on it.ﾃつ We're going to get that body looking like a fine tooth comb.ﾃつ I think Denzel has a chance to make his parents proud and get to enjoy watching him play for the next three or four years. Q.ﾃつ Tom, for those of us that watched this team and listening to you today, is it a fair assumption that the number one obstacle for this team next year is going to be leadership? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ Yeah, I think that's a fair assumption.ﾃつ It's even taught me a little something, because I always knew it was important.ﾃつ But I think it even took me to a different level this year.ﾃつ When I talk about hotels and airplanes and locker rooms and things like that, I always thought it was important.ﾃつ But now it's beyond important for two reasons.ﾃつ One reason is there are so many selfish kids.ﾃつ There are selfish parents, selfish coaches, everybody's so selfish that kids are a product of the environment they're in. When that environment where they probably spend even more time than they do on the practice field, and you have the right guys in there, without coaches, so much more can be gained or lost so that's going to be very high on our list. Yet in no way, shape or form am I thinking it's going to be as good as it was this year.ﾃつ That's unrealistic right now unless somebody comes out of the‑‑ I mean, I'm hoping it becomes good.ﾃつ This year was incredible.ﾃつ I'm hoping it becomes really good if we can get going.ﾃつ Good and real good, along with those other intangibles of new guys coming in.ﾃつ Maybe a new foundation where those freshmen understand there's only one way to do it.ﾃつ There are not a couple different ways to do it.ﾃつ I think all those things will help. Q.ﾃつ You talk about guys that don't quit and guys with work ethic.ﾃつ Anderson signed with the Raptors today.ﾃつ Can you comment on that? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ I did hear he was going to.ﾃつ He was looking at the Clippers, Cleveland, I think was involved.ﾃつ It excites me because we went back to Europe.ﾃつ Charlie Bell did a little bit.ﾃつ Some guys got depressed and disappointed if they didn't make it.ﾃつ He took it more as a challenge. He called right before the Big Ten tournament and he was back.ﾃつ He had these opportunities.ﾃつ I'm really happy for Allen.ﾃつ I definitely think he can play in the league too.ﾃつ I just think his ability to guard people and play different positions, his ability to first step.ﾃつ He scored very well over there.ﾃつ So we're ecstatic to have Allen back in the states, kind of, but back in the NBA for sure. Q.ﾃつ For B.J. this summer it will be long for him physically.ﾃつ But mentally trying to keep him focused and looking ahead, how difficult is that going to be for him?ﾃつ What do you do to try to keep him involved? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ Well, it's like I tried to explain to my guys, as you all know, there were three reasons we kept him back from that deal.ﾃつ One was his own health and the plane ride.ﾃつ One was academically he had to get some things done.ﾃつ The third one was missing practice that he didn't have to be at, but he had to be at. I reminded everybody that when you pull away something from a Delvon Roe, or a Branden Dawson, or a Mateen Cleaves, I mean, there are certain people that grew up and lived, eat, and slept basketball.ﾃつ There are other people that became good players and cared about the game, but there are a few people that it's their whole life.ﾃつ Branden's one of them. When you take that away, it's depressing.ﾃつ Delvon, it was depressing his freshman year here when he couldn't do anything.ﾃつ It is going to be a chore. The neat part for me so far is he's so far ahead of where they thought it would be just in the three to four weeks from the surgery, then his range of motion was 90% from where they could believe.ﾃつ He's done a great job of taking care of it I think there are some good things that happened.ﾃつ But he's going to go through some downtimes, no question about it.ﾃつ When you take something away from somebody like that, there is nothing that I've witnessed as an athlete‑‑ let me preface that because there are so many tough things that happen in the world‑‑ but for an athlete to have to rehab, that is a tough, tough deal because it's never ending. It's every day, sometimes two and three times a day.ﾃつ It's way more strenuous and a lot less fun than actual practice.ﾃつ That's something he's going to go through, but I think it will make him appreciate the game as it does most.ﾃつ I think he'll bounce back a hundred percent.ﾃつ I really do.ﾃつ My only fear is how much time is he going to lose that he could be working on things?ﾃつ Because in the past when I've had guys lose a whole summer, it takes a while to come back, as we've all learned. I had a meeting with Russell the other day, and he's still talking about how his leg, his ankle is a lot better, his foot.ﾃつ But the strength in his leg, he's helped, I think, Brandon.ﾃつ Telling them, hey, don't let the legs at trophy.ﾃつ Don't do this, don't do that.ﾃつ Do whatever you can do because it speeds the process later on. Q.ﾃつ You've talked about the skill of coming back and next year in particular Costello's shooting ability.ﾃつ Derrick Nix said last week in Phoenix he's impressed with that shooting ability, but really, with Costello, was the edge he played with.ﾃつ He used the phrase, "He's a nasty white boy," and he meant that as a compliment. COACH IZZO:ﾃつ That is a compliment. Q.ﾃつ Can you talk about the edge that he might bring? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ I like that.ﾃつ I like that.ﾃつ I think Costello is a work horse.ﾃつ He's a 4.4 student.ﾃつ He works.ﾃつ I went and watched him throw the discus a year ago.ﾃつ I think he works at everything he does.ﾃつ His dad has pushed him.ﾃつ His coaches pushed him.ﾃつ He's pushed himself. He's got a long way to go, like every kid.ﾃつ But he's played in a decent league and put up some very good numbers.ﾃつ He can do more than one thing. I think by the number of games he's come down to, too, he's fit in with those guys already.ﾃつ I think that's neat.ﾃつ I think that's neat for Valentine.ﾃつ I think even Gary got up more than a little bit.ﾃつ Kaminski got up because of the injuries.ﾃつ So those guys, and I think Nix has an appreciation, because he knows some people stuck by him.ﾃつ I think he will stick by people, and those things are priceless. So if that's what we have to put on his jersey, nasty white boy, I'm cool with that.ﾃつ That's a great name.ﾃつ Better than his own name. Q.ﾃつ I was going to ask about Costello too.ﾃつ Do you see him getting any time next year at all? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ Well, you know, guys, it's crazy to talk about who is going to get time.ﾃつ Because if you had asked me last year do you see Brandan Kearney getting any time, you never know.ﾃつ Maybe I wouldn't have said it publicly, but privately I would have said I don't think so.ﾃつ I don't think much. The last 12 games of the year I want to say he averaged 12 or 13 minutes a game. ﾃつHe was in there big time minutes in big games.ﾃつ It's once in a while that you look at a player and he thinks he should be playing more. Like Joe, the walk‑on that had trouble dribbling the ball up and down the floor in a couple games we put him in, he probably thinks he's good for 20 minutes a game, so that puts everything in perspective.ﾃつ But Brendan has times where maybe I should be playing more.ﾃつ And the Day‑Days of the world would tell him about the Morris Petersons or the Thomases from Ohio State, or the Robinsons from Kansas.ﾃつ It kind of puts it in a better perspective that are you on drugs or what?ﾃつ Do you have any clue what you're talking about?ﾃつ There is a process. I said I was going to speak on this if I did it corporately, but I'm going to share it with you because my son's shadowing me today.ﾃつ His mother and sister went to Florida, and Mr.Mom isn't as good an idea as I thought it was.ﾃつ But he said something to me yesterday that I thought sad.ﾃつ He asked me if a couple players were going to get traded.ﾃつ I was wondering if he meant my own.ﾃつ But he was talking about the NBA.ﾃつ He was talking about Wall.ﾃつ I said why would he be traded?ﾃつ Well, he's on a bad team.ﾃつ He's got to go to a better team. That's what the last couple years of what some guys did have caused.ﾃつ And we're wondering why one of my players would be upset if he didn't play enough.ﾃつ Our society has screwed the world.ﾃつ It really has.ﾃつ I'm not going to go on a soap box of the Twitter and all that.ﾃつ But I've got an 11‑year‑old that asked me that question.ﾃつ That is sick.ﾃつ But trust me, he's going to get a piece of my mind that if you go to junior high school and your coach doesn't play you, you're not transferring, brother, sorry.ﾃつ That's what our society has done. Then you wonder if some kid is upset because he hasn't played, is he going to transfer?ﾃつ If I got one kid who is upset about his minutes and he transfers, I'm fine with it.ﾃつ I'm perfect with it, because he's not going to win okay.ﾃつ If it's my kid and you're seeing him in three years playing in junior high broom ball or something and he wants to transfer, you grab him by the back of the throat and tell that little SOB that, you know what, that's not the way it works.ﾃつ Just because we've got some role models doing it, that's not the way it is. I thought it was comical, like you did.ﾃつ But I thought it was incredibly sad.ﾃつ My 11‑year‑old held me, because why shouldn't these guys think like they think?ﾃつ Half of these kids we've recruited have been to three different high schools.ﾃつ Not satisfied here, move there.ﾃつ We've caused some of that.ﾃつ You've caused some of that, and so do we.ﾃつ So I'm taking the blame too. But this year was so good for me, because it taught me that none of that stuff matters.ﾃつ I don't care.ﾃつ I'll coach whoever I've got next year.ﾃつ Thank God I've got good kids and nobody plans on leaving.ﾃつ But I'm just saying that I'll coach whoever wants to be here. If there is a reason you think you can make whoever wants to be here good, I just went through a hell of a season.ﾃつ So, my 11‑year‑old, Steven, you get a lot of credit, brother.ﾃつ If you transfer, I'm going to kill you.ﾃつ All right? Sometimes I'd like to transfer you out, and I'd like to stay with my team.ﾃつ Go ahead.ﾃつ Sorry. Q.ﾃつ I wasn't going to go there, but I guess I can save us a phone call in three weeks when the new season starts, the Izzo to NBA season.ﾃつ We skipped it last year.ﾃつ But I guess my question is has your enjoyment in this job this year and the people you have coming in through recruiting, in answer to your Spartan for life feeling, are you at an age where if the timing were right you'd have to look now or never look? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ I'll throw it out there just because it will start controversy.ﾃつ We can't ever say never on anything.ﾃつ But I can say I'm about as close to it.ﾃつ I enjoyed the year.ﾃつ I think you all know I felt better.ﾃつ I still had some injuries, still had some disappointments, still had some setbacks. I think I've come to grips, too with what I was talking about a minute ago.ﾃつ You know what, this is just the way it's going to be.ﾃつ If our society is doing the things they're doing, the old Judd theory of whatever happens in society, plan on it happening on your team. So I had to come to grips with that a little too.ﾃつ I think I lived in a world that I didn't understand.ﾃつ But it's kind of neat that I said all along and I say to players every year, if you have success, the team has success, there will be success stories for each one of you. If you really look at it, it's been a pretty successful story for Derrick Nix coming from where he came from and what he's done.ﾃつ If you really look at Draymond, he's been a first team on every ballot I've seen so far, every major one.ﾃつ He's going to win somebody's "Player of the Year," maybe. Even a coach.ﾃつ As I told my team, you don't get a "Coach of the Year" in the league if you finish third or fourth in the league. So you get a lot of these things because of what the players did for you, or you helped them do or what their teammates helped them do.ﾃつ But I'm here as long as they want me here.ﾃつ What I really want to do is get back to another Final Four and just get into that smaller fraternity that I keep talking about. As we learn this year, it's not always in the cards, and I don't mean for us.ﾃつ You look at Carolina, look at Syracuse, look at teams that were the big show the whole year, you look at Missouri, no injuries, no nothing.ﾃつ Just one bad game.ﾃつ You have to be so good and so lucky to advance. Is it because of this year that I am a Spartan for life?ﾃつ No.ﾃつ That was over a period of time.ﾃつ Does it help reassure that your decisions are the right ones?ﾃつ No question.ﾃつ That's why in the meeting when we got back, I thanked them.ﾃつ I said you did a lot for me.ﾃつ You did a lot for yourselves.ﾃつ You did a lot for the program.ﾃつ You did a lot for Michigan State.ﾃつ You did a lot for this community. I think this team stepped above that though.ﾃつ I think they did a lot for basketball.ﾃつ I do think high schools are going to say, hey, Michigan State didn't have five McDonald's, All‑Americans and this and that, and look what they did.ﾃつ So I think they did a lot for that. But secretively and in the bowels of my office, they did a lot for me.ﾃつ They reassured me that everything I believed in was right.ﾃつ They reassured me that there is one way to do it.ﾃつ They reassured me that chemistry and leadership and toughness is important.ﾃつ That defense still wins championships, as we're ranked, I think, second in the nation now as we leave.ﾃつ Kentucky's first, Louisville's tied for second.ﾃつ You look at the teams in the Sweet 16 on, and it will be my battle cry again next year. So if you get a GM job, Fred, I've answered in a long way, that I have no interest in you. Q.ﾃつ (Inaudible)? COACH IZZO:ﾃつ That's the other thing. ﾃつIt's almost embarrassing as a basketball coach because you don't have your schedule out as far.ﾃつ I don't even know who we play, Kentucky or Kansas.ﾃつ Kansas, yeah.ﾃつ In fact, you told me that.ﾃつ So we play Kansas down there.ﾃつ I don't know who we'll play in the ACC challenge.ﾃつ But we've always held on a little bit more now because I will plan those made for TV, those things that I think benefit us. I don't want to get into a situation of playing three ACC teams, especially when they end up being the top three ACC teams.ﾃつ But we are exploring the different things that we'll be in.ﾃつ Honestly, we'll let you know as soon as we have it, something, conversation with Florida, with Arizona, with Texas.ﾃつ Kansas and Kentucky‑‑ if I'm going to play somebody big, I just want to play somebody big.ﾃつ So we're going to look at that. It all depends on what tournament and everything we end up in.ﾃつ It's a little different in basketball.ﾃつ In football you have this ten‑year schedule, and we have this ten‑month schedule.ﾃつ But as soon as we do find out, I'll be more than happy to let you know.ﾃつ There is nothing out there for sure except that we play Kansas. I'll show by saying, guys, I appreciate you guys.ﾃつ I hope you had as much fun as I did, because it seemed like we had an enjoyable team to cover.ﾃつ I thought you guys were great.ﾃつ We tried to give you as much access as always, and I thought you guys handled the access you had about as well as you can. It would sure be fun if we can keep moving forward and keep this program going at the level it's at, because I think it's fun for everybody. So we're going to work on our side of it.ﾃつ We're off for a week.ﾃつ I'm going down to the Final Four.ﾃつ My last duties as past president this year, and starting then the week after, I think it's the 20th, we're allowed back on the road.ﾃつ So we'll be doing a little recruiting on those weekends, then it's time to challenge anybody that wants to play golf.ﾃつ So enjoy. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|