Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo has been called a lot of things over the years. "Effusive" is not a word that has been used very often to describe him.
Coach Izzo has a reputation for being hyper critical. I have seen games where Michigan State wins by 20 points and Izzo comes into the press conference fuming. But when Izzo opened the season at this week's Basketball Media Day event, he was upbeat and positive.
"I’m going to go a little unconventional and tell you I love my team," was one of the first things out of his mouth on Tuesday. He then went on to elaborate on the reasons for his affection.
"I've seen some veterans change, I've seen the middle group grow, and I’ve seen the young guys with a lot of talent," Izzo said. He says that his team has "a little more hunger" this fall and he said it with a certain gleam in his eye. It's like he knows something the rest of the country doesn't know. Yet.
"I like the makeup of the personnel," he continued. "I like the fact that we have old guys that have been through the wars. I like the fact that we have depth. I like the fact that we have size. I like the fact that we can play small or big."
It's not just the physical talent that has impressed Izzo so far. He also enjoys the toughness and the confidence that he is seeing, especially from his veterans.
"I like the fact that we've been through some tough times," Izzo said. "Tough times make tough people. And I think we've been battled tested... I think that (the Sweet 16 appearance) gave some confidence to some people that now are juniors and seniors.
"(The seniors have) got the experience of winning, and they've got the experience of losing," he continued. "It's like the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. They've done both and I think there is nothing like experience when a player is telling another player compared to a coach telling them that."
This combination of experienced upperclassmen and talented freshmen is increasingly rare in the modern college game, but it is also extremely valuable. This mix of young and old is often a combination found on championship teams. Coach Izzo is already seeing the benefits of this mix for the newest faces on the roster.
"Jeremy (Fears), Cohen (Carr), Xavier (Booker), and Gehrig (Norman) don't realize how lucky they are," he said. "Malik (Hall) and Mady (Sissoko) has done such a great job with the big guys and AJ (Hoggard) and Tyson (Walker) have done a phenomenal job (as well)."
But Izzo was also quick to point out that the leadership from the upperclassmen is not simply a result of them being on campus longer. It goes deeper than that.
"Leadership doesn't come from age and it doesn't even come from experience," Izzo said. "It comes from who you are and what you are."
Roster Breakdown
Throughout the Media Day press conference, Coach Izzo gave an update on every player on the Michigan State roster. Here is what he has to say.
On senior center Mady Sissoko:
"It's been interesting to watch Mady, he's up to 250. Those guys did not want to gain weight. (They were) afraid they're going to lose their athleticism, and now, it was the greatest thing they did. It's still hard to convince guys to do things that they don't want to do."
On senior forward Malik Hall:
"We'll play Malik Hall all over. He's going to be a big key because he's so versatile, he can do so many things."
On senior guard Tyson Walker:
"He might be the best shooter I got. Tyson is a two-way player. He's one of the best defensive players, I think, in the conference."
On senior point guard A.J. Hoggard:
"If AJ keeps doing what he's (been) doing (this summer), and I put that challenge out to him, if he can sustain that, not only are we going to be better, but he's going to be better.
Coach Izzo also made sure to joke a little bit about his senior point guard. "So go ahead and ask him," he said. "Because you all know what my relationship with him is, you know, fun loving, hugging and kissing."
On junior guard Jadin Akins:
"(He) has had maybe the best summer of all our guys, he's gained, I think 11 pounds now, he's stronger. Jaden has had a phenomenal summer shooting the ball (and a) phenomenal summer in the weight room. When you talk to him, I think you're going to see he's a more confident kid, and I'm looking for big things out of him.
"I think he could be one of the best two-way players, not just in the league, but in the whole country. He's smart. He's got a chance to be our next Academic All-American. Legitimate. He's gotten stronger and tougher, shoulders bigger, and he's improved his game... he's better with the ball."
On sophomore guard Tre Holloman:
"Holloman has been one of the more consistent players of the summer."
On sophomore big men Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper:
"Kohler and Cooper have both improved a lot. Both have changed their bodies a lot. Coopers' the longest and biggest of the bunch. He’s probably got the best handle. He’s not the best shooter, but he has been a phenomenal rebounder. He’s a very, very intelligent kid off the court and he’s a very intelligent kid on the court. So, he’s got a lot of pluses."
The Media Day event also severed as an introduction to the four newest Spartans. Coach Izzo went into more detail on the incoming freshman class.
On freshman point guard Jeremy Fears:
"Fears is my Mateen Cleaves 20 some years later. He's a leader, he's vocal, he's helpful. He's gained a little weight, he's gained some strength. He has to still continue to work on his shot, but he has all the qualities to be one hell of a guard here.
"There's been a couple of those guys that just have IT. Not a lot of them. Jeremy Fears has IT. He's helped (Xavier) Booker so much. They’re roommates, and he's pushed him and pulled him and he just has a very good way of doing that. He's spent time with Mateen (Cleeves), and I think at the end of the day, you're going to see Jeremy grow and grow and grow, and in the meantime, he's going to still help us.
"He's making AJ and and some of those guys better players and I think they're making him a better player."
On freshman forward Xavier Booker:
"Booker is probably the highest guy ranked. He's got a ways to go. He's got to get stronger and he's got to get more aggressive. But since school started, he's really starting to take a step in the right direction."
On freshman guard Gehrig Normand:
"Normand was the least rated and might be the best shooter. He is a lot like Matt McQuaid is in the same exact mold and maybe more athletic. Not quite as strong yet but that's what being a freshman is."
On freshman guard Coen Carr:
"Coen has been … interesting. He’s got to continue to work on his shot. But he plays so hard. He's such a good kid, and he just keeps getting better. Where's he going to play? I don't know. I think he can play theperimeter;, I think he can play inside, I think he he can play all over. But (he's) a phenomenal athlete.
"Jason Richardson was here a couple of weeks ago. (I told Jason) 'you got to move over, there's a guy that’s flying by you as far as athletically'. Now (the question is) whether he can continue to grow as Jason did, to become one of the better shooters in the NBA? If Coen does that, at 30 pounds heavier and a little bigger, he's going to be a hell of a player."
Coach Izzo also took the opportunity to joke a bit about some of buzz surrounding Carr's highlight film dunks.
"I know most of you have seen him on highlight films. As I've told most people, (he's) probably my greatest coaching achievement. That kid could barely dunk when he got here in June, and now I've turned him into a great dunker. So I'll take all the credit for that. No assistants, No Coen. It was strictly coaching. If you believe that I’ve got property in the UP to sell you."
Coach Izzo even took the time to comment on the team's three walk-ons, including his son Steven, who Izzo referred to as "Hall of Famer."
On junior Davis Smith:
"He's trying to be more and more of a leader realizing he's probably not going to play as much, but he's been great."
On sophomore Nick Sander:
"I told him, I'm not ready to put his statue up. That's his dad's business (former Detroit Lions' legend Barry Sanders). But it's been it's been fun to have a guy around, like him and Davis, where their fathers had been superstars in their own right. They know the pits and falls and good things that come with that. And Nick is an incredible student. I mean, I've got a lot of good students. He's an incredible student that I just love having him around."
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