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Michigan State’s Tom Izzo champions player-led team to build a hooping powerhouse

Tom Izzo's pursuit to make the Michigan State Spartans a top-caliber team revolves around a certain philosophy. The coach is building a player-led culture within his 2024-25 unit to fill the gap between players and the coaching staff. He believes that by doing so, the team will eventually cultivate a sense of leadership amongst players, which has been missing in the Spartans in the last few years.

Izzo opened up on his approach recently during the Big Ten Media Days. He shared the potential for focus, accountability, cultivating a bond, and creating opportunities that his new process can offer.

"Because the players are with the players when they're eating," Izzo said. "They're in the locker room with each other, if they go to the movies, if they go out to a party. No matter what they do, players are with players. So, players got to be able to control players."

He added:

"Coaches get them during the practice, they get them during the meeting. But anything that really matters, even though people think we know everything, we don't know everything. So, player-coached team means that they can know what's going on."

Tom Izzo also mentioned the difference in perspective when a player pushes a teammate, compared to coaches hustling their players. The latter situation can also result in a player’s eventual dissociation with the program.

Unlike the NBA, college players are limited to certain hours of practice each week. Regular training sessions cannot go past 4 hours per day and must be limited to 20 hours per week.


Tom Izzo wanted Purdue Boilermakers to win the 2024 NCAA title

When the Boilermakers faced the UConn Huskies in the NCAA finals this year, Tom Izzo rung Matt Painter. The Spartans' coach wanted Purdue to overtake his Spartans as the most recent Big Ten conference roster to lift the NCAA trophy.

"I used to think, 'Oh man, I'm the last Big Ten guy [with NCAA title] standing.' Last year. I'm calling and I'm saying, 'Matt, Matt, you've got to win this [final] game.' I don't want to be the last Big Ten guy standing, you know? But I think it is a reality," Izzo said on the Big Ten Media Day.

Tom Izzo shared the story upon being asked about the absence of NCAA titles among the Big Ten conference since his Spartans defeated Florida (89-76) in 2000.

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