ATLANTA — Tom Izzo is no stranger to losing.
A 70-64 loss to Auburn on Sunday represented Michigan State’s 26th March Madness loss in 27 trips under Izzo, and a missed opportunity to deliver the program’s ninth Final Four appearance since he took the reins three decades ago.
But maybe a bigger loss is a group of players who taught him to appreciate the basics of coaching again.
“For the 30th year, I’m not sure I’ve ever been prouder of a team,” Izzo said after the Elite Eight loss. “These guys gave me everything they had.”
This version of Michigan State didn’t seem to have much going for it, with even Izzo admitting on “The Jim Rome Show” last month “they were right” to rank his team fifth in the Big Ten preseason poll. After all, the Spartans were coming off their second Round of 32 exit in the past three years and had lost their three leading scorers (Tyson Walker, Malik Hall and AJ Hoggard).
But the chance to start fresh with a younger, deeper team rejuvenated a 70-year-old Izzo, who may have turned in one of his best coaching jobs yet: The Spartans reached 30 wins for the first time since 2019.
Izzo said he felt pride in this year’s group for adopting a team-first attitude, something he feels is decreasing as the game continues to evolve.
“I felt like it reinvigorated me to realize there’s still people that care about winning, and care about getting better, and care about playing for the school they’re at,” Izzo said. “In this day and age, when it’s getting a little more selfish, that is rewarding, that is exciting, that is invigorating.”
A freshman (Jase Richardson), a redshirt freshman (Jeremy Fears Jr.) and a junior (Jaxon Kohler) were among Michigan State’s starters on Sunday. Tre Holloman, the first player off the bench, is a junior.
“The greatest thing is players coming back, but the second greatest thing is watching people trying to reach their goals,” Izzo said. “I always tell them you’ve got to dream it, and they dreamed it early. You’ve got to work for it and have a goal. They had the goal, and today, they lived the reality of it.”
Gunter Schroeder is a student in the University of Georgia's Sports Media Certificate program.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why this Michigan State basketball team was so special to Tom Izzo
