The Izzo Non-Izzue

You've all seen it by now. Tom Izzo getting in the face of freshman Aaron Henry during the first round of the NCAA tournament in the team’s game against Bradley. Even for those who don't follow sports, it was replayed time and again across major news networks across the country. And apparently everyone had to give their two cents. I'll be honest-I don't get the apparent outrage from some people in the media. When I saw it during the game I laughed. I thought it was great. It was Izzo coaching, Izzo pushing his player to do better. I loved that then you had two leaders of the team, Cassius Winston and Matt McQuaid, put their hands on the coach as if to say “We got this, let's go.” That's the dynamic with this team, with all Tom Izzo teams. A back and forth, coaches and players challenging each other. I figured that it would be replayed on SportsCenter, reporters would ask Izzo about it after the game, and that would be that. But no-it became a media firestorm. I saw one headline that read “Michigan State coach Tom Izzo restrained while berating freshman player Aaron Henry.” What?!? He was coaching! And he wasn't “restrained”. People were acting like Izzo was about to physically hurt Henry. Do you think that if Izzo's players were scared of him they would have even put their hands on him? It was as if the media had never seen the guy coach before. Then again, the majority of those upset by the on court exchange know nothing about Tom Izzo or Michigan State basketball. But we now live in an era where everyone is offended by everything. An era of participation trophies and coddling. Thankfully, Tom Izzo isn't from this era, and he's not about to change his coaching style. He has players that stay four years for a reason. Hell, Miles Bridges, who would have likely been a lottery pick after his freshman year, came back for a second season last year. Not just because he loved college basketball, but because he loved playing for Tom Izzo. All of his players do. And that's why he will continue to be one of the top coaches in college basketball. And his fiery coaching is what will continue to push his team in this tournament. ​Also-just as an aside-I've seen a lot of articles and posts already talking about the potential Elite Eight match-up between Duke and Michigan State. Living in Columbia, South Carolina I have watched a lot of SEC basketball this year, and LSU is good. REALLY GOOD. The game Friday night is going to be tough. They've got big guys down low and they can shoot the three. If the Spartans are already looking forward to Duke, they will lose this Sweet Sixteen game. But I know the team isn't looking ahead, even if the fans are. Tom Izzo is their coach, and like I said, he's one of the best of all time. GO GREEN!