EAST LANSING, Mich. — Tom Izzo spoke for around 65 minutes Wednesday afternoon, the first 35 or so uninterrupted, there to preview the team he has coming back. It’s nice to see some things getting back to normal.
“Kinda probably went longer than I should’ve on all of it,” Izzo said as he wrapped up his opening statement.
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We’ll take it. After a year in which his team was confined to video call interviews, Michigan State’s local media day was a welcomed sight. Izzo went in-depth on each player, the changes around his program and a summer he said was the best his program has had in 10 years.
In less than three weeks, that’ll be put to the test. Michigan State opens its season in Madison Square Garden in what Izzo hopes will be the start of a bounce-back season.
“We’ve gone back to doing the things that we needed to do, should do and can do,” Izzo said. “Hopefully, that’ll benefit us.”
Until then, some storylines, takeaways and more from MSU’s local media day:
Staff changes and a re-energized Izzo
When it came time to fill spots on his staff this offseason, a conversation with a notable alum helped Izzo decide which direction to take.
“Talking to some of my former guys, one of the things that we decided was to try to get a little younger,” Izzo said. “I think Draymond (Green) brought that to my attention.”
Mark Montgomery is back on staff. A four-year starter as a player at MSU, Montgomery spent 10 years as an assistant under Izzo before taking the head coaching job at Northern Illinois. Izzo said Montgomery’s a far better coach now, and it makes sense considering his experience elsewhere. Initially hired as the team’s recruiting coordinator, Montgomery will travel with the team as an assistant coach. Mike Garland, whose son underwent heart surgery earlier this year, will shift to a special assistant role. In that setup, Garland won’t have to travel as often and will be involved heavily in player development and watching film.
In addition to Montgomery, former player Matt McQuaid, a key member of MSU’s Final Four team during the 2018-19 season, is back with the program as an assistant director of basketball operations. Austin Thornton, another former player and team captain who spent a few seasons as a graduate assistant under Izzo, has returned as the team’s video coordinator.
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Izzo said MSU’s staff is a well-oiled machine right now. Coaches get along. There are younger voices around him. Players relate to McQuaid, a younger staffer who introduced members of the team to the crowd of students in attendance for the annual Izzone campout.
At age 66, Izzo says the staff has re-energized him. So, too, have his goals. He has a few things he wants to accomplish before walking away.
“I think Draymond was right,” Izzo said when asked where he gets the energy to continue coaching. “Getting a little youth on my staff, now I have a balance. It’s like your team — you have to have some seniors, and you have to have some freshmen. I got a couple seniors, and I got a couple of very, very good freshmen.
“And then it’s my goals. I still have a goal to try to win another one. It’s not an insurmountable goal. And I have a goal to make sure Michigan State University is thought of and talked about and respected like it should be. We’ve gone through some things that — I want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Might take a little time, and if it does, I’m in for the fight.”
Two captains with distinct personalities
Malik Hall and Gabe Brown are your 2021-22 MSU basketball team captains. It’s fitting, having those two lead the charge. It’s also fascinating. Allow Izzo to explain why.
“Our captains are two different guys,” Izzo said. “In Malik, you got the quiet assassin who’s a very intelligent kid who kinda helps me with the players on the court and off. And Gabe is my energizer bunny that I just kinda wind him up and tell him to go, and he brings a lot of the enthusiasm. I’ve got a combination of both.”
It really is an interesting dynamic. Brown was an easy choice. He’s the most experienced senior on the roster, he’s well-liked on the team, and he’s a lock to start. Known early on in his career for his sideline antics and meme-able moments, Brown has matured through the years. He might’ve garnered the most attention out of any player who spoke at the local media days.
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Hall is a bit more reserved by nature, but he has found his voice this offseason. He knew he would be asked to step up this year and has taken it upon himself to be more vocal in team settings. Izzo thinks Hall is in store for a breakout year. His two captains appear to have struck a good balance so far.
“If somebody messes up on something like three or four times, I’ll be quiet about it,” Hall said of his leadership style. “I’ll just be like, ‘Hey, make sure you get this down,’ tell them what they did wrong. It’s not like I’m sitting there screaming at them in front of everybody. When it comes to three or four times and I’ve told them three or four times, then I’ll yell or something like that. Or if there’s a good play that changes the momentum, I’ll get very excited about it. It’s not necessarily something where I cut on and cut off. I think it’s more just going with what’s happening.”
“Malik sometimes gets quiet, but when he’s quiet, I feel like he’s focused on himself,” Brown said. “Me, I’m goofy, I’m loud, I’m happy. You could do anything to get me excited. I feel like we’re gonna work very well with each other.”
Michigan State left out of AP Top 25
Michigan State was on the outside looking in back in February until a late-season run that saw the Spartans knock off three top-five teams, which helped nudge the team off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament.
While the run was special, it’s hard to overlook the season that was. It was a down year, and MSU is left to regroup without Aaron Henry — the player who guided the Spartans during that stretch. The preseason AP Top 25 poll reflects that uncertainty as Izzo’s Spartans were left off that list.
“Not being ranked in the top 25 (for) the first time since 2012, it does tick me off,” Izzo said. “But I understand it.”
It feels like there’s a bit of a wait-and-see element from those trying to evaluate this team. After all, preseason polls don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. But to be clear, Michigan State isn’t far outside of the top 25. In fact, the Spartans received the most votes of any unranked squad, making them the unofficial preseason No. 26. A win over Kansas at Madison Square Garden to begin the year should do the trick.
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But maybe that’s exactly what this team needs after last year. A little motivation to set the tone. After struggling last year, going into a new season with an underdog mentality can’t hurt, right?
“I’m mad, too,” Brown said when told of Izzo’s reaction to the poll. “But it’s good being the underdogs. I’m ready for the season to start so people can really see.”
Dual-sport athletes
A decent portion of Izzo’s availability was spent discussing football. Naturally.
Izzo, as you might’ve heard, is a big fan of the sport and of Mel Tucker’s, who has this MSU team at 7-0 ahead of its matchup with Michigan on Oct. 30. Izzo believes an athletic department is at its best when its football program is doing well. Tucker has provided that for MSU. He also has provided Izzo with a pair of potential dual-sport athletes in Keon Coleman and Maliq Carr.
“It’s been a pretty open-door policy with Mel and I,” Izzo said. “We’ll cross that when it gets there. That will be hard to do today. But, you know, it’s competitive. Guys that are walk-ons now, if those guys come over and they’re better, that’s competitive.”
Both Coleman and Carr committed to Michigan State with plans to play football and basketball. Coleman, a true freshman wide receiver, has basketball highlights that made the rounds on Twitter last year. He’s more of a guard by nature. Carr, a 6-foot-5 tight end, is a bigger-bodied player whose father, Cornell Mann, is an assistant basketball coach at Missouri and a former basketball player at Akron. Carr’s cousin, Dwayne Stephens, is an assistant on Izzo’s staff.
It’s unclear what their roles would be, but both would be walk-ons since their scholarships are for football. It has been done before, but it’s not as common as it once was. We’ll have to wait and see.
“Those guys, they might help us as players, they might help us in a locker room,” Izzo said. “But most important right now, I want them to help Mel Tucker win one more game.”
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Closer look at Walker, Hoggard’s relationship
Earlier this month, A.J. Hoggard revealed a tidbit that seemed to catch some of us on the beat by surprise. Hoggard and Tyson Walker, both from the East Coast, have known each other since elementary school.
“Tyson’s made me a lot better,” Hoggard said last week. “Me and Tyson have been competing since fourth grade. A lot of guys don’t know that. He’s from New York, and I’m from Pennsylvania, so growing up going to tournaments, we played each other every weekend. We’ve formed a relationship since fourth grade, our parents know each other, so him coming here kinda gave me a sense of back home, East Coast, and competitiveness at that spot.”
When Walker entered the transfer portal this offseason, Hoggard called him and gave him a recruiting pitch to join him at Michigan State. Even though the two are battling for the title of Michigan State’s starting point guard, there’s no tension. There’s a calming understanding that, no matter who wins, they’re both going to play significant minutes. Izzo said they’re both firmly in the playing group and that they could even share time on the court together at times.
The point guard position was a glaring weakness last season, but Izzo is confident in the two he has leading the way. He said Hoggard runs the fast break better than any point guard he has had since Mateen Cleaves — lofty praise for a guard who, admittedly, looked like a true freshman last season. Hoggard has dropped 20 pounds this offseason, which Izzo says improved his athleticism. Walker, meanwhile, is transitioning from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Big Ten after transferring from Northeastern. He won the conference’s defensive player of the year award last year, can hit from range and should provide a steadier presence than the team had last year if his game translates.
Because of their history, the two have leaned on each other. MSU will need both to play often and play well. They’re pushing each other to be better.
“It doesn’t even feel like we’re really competing,” Walker said. “We just go out there every day and play with no real issues and compete. That’s it.”
Freshmen in the playing group
Let’s move on to the freshmen. Based on everything that was said and has been said during the past month or so, this team is counting on Max Christie to be a dude from the jump.
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When asked for a starting lineup, Izzo only provided two names who’ve locked up their jobs: Brown and Christie. There’s usually some hesitation when it comes to anointing freshmen, but every step of the way, Izzo and his players have been impressed with Christie’s shooting and maturity and even his defense — which is further along than Izzo expected.
So far, Christie has been as advertised. Michigan State will need him to play like the five-star label he has been given.
Izzo rattled off a playing group of eight names: Christie, Brown, Hall, Joey Hauser, Hoggard, Walker, Marcus Bingham and Julius Marble. He added there’s a chance it could stretch to nine. An obvious name to watch there is freshman guard Jaden Akins.
Perhaps one of the most athletic point guards to ever play for Izzo, Akins has a bright future. Izzo told The Athletic last month that Akins’ development, like Christie’s, is further along than he thought. “He’s better than even we thought he’d be,” Izzo said then. “That’s been a pleasant surprise.” It sounds like only a matter of time before Akins is firmly in that group. He can help this team.
As for the final freshman, Pierre Brooks II, Izzo says he likes Brooks’ ability to defend and rebound. He has had to work on his body a bit since arriving on campus, but Izzo likes Brooks’ progress. Look for him down the road if he isn’t ready this year.
Bingham’s strength and the search for a tougher team
Bingham’s weight has been an oft-discussed topic of conversation each offseason he has been at Michigan State. It feels like every year, there’s talk about him packing on the pounds, only to look essentially like the same player when he takes the court.
When asked about Bingham’s offseason at times during the past few months, Izzo hasn’t emphasized Bingham’s weight as much as he has his strength. A few years back, Bingham’s strength was measured when he participated in a combine-like bench drill — reps of 185 pounds. Kevin Durant had zero as a freshman at Texas. So how did Bingham perform a few years back?
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“Marky was a negative,” Izzo said. “That thing went through his chest.”
Izzo keeps coming back to that, especially this year. When tested this offseason, Bingham hit 10 or 11 in the same drill. While he only has gained a few more pounds, Izzo believes Bingham’s stronger than he was when he arrived. Izzo thinks that has helped Bingham’s confidence and believes the program’s overall emphasis on the weight room will translate to the court.
“When you get stronger, you automatically get tougher,” Izzo said. “We weren’t the toughest team in America last year. We did not rebound like our teams, and we did not defend like our teams. When I said in May we made that weight room a character-building place, that’s what I said, and that’s what we did. … The strength coach, the trainer, the player and every coach on this staff didn’t miss a morning of that. That’s never happened, and I think it was a total plus.”
“We show it every day in practice,” Bingham said of the team’s toughness. “Everybody’s going hard, everyone’s trying to make each other better.”
Izzo on roster management
With the transfer portal era among us, Izzo didn’t mince words when discussing his take on roster management in college basketball.
“Roster management’s a joke, OK?” Izzo said. “But it’s not a joke here because, whether anybody believes this or not, I’m not getting rid of anybody that wants to be here. If I brought him here, and let’s say it was a mistake — we make mistakes, too — that’s my mistake. So anybody that wants to be here, (has) got the right to be here and will be here under Tom Izzo.”
Izzo was referring to coaches using the portal to upgrade the talent on their roster, making space by running their own out of the program. He thinks it’s bad for the sport, and he has been consistent in his message. He added that if a player isn’t doing what he needs to do away from the court — not working hard, walking around practice, not doing his job — that’s a different story. Izzo also mentioned that if a player who isn’t playing wants to transfer to a place for more minutes, he’ll help him out.
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The other side of this discussion involves roster management in a post-COVID era. The extra year of eligibility given to student-athletes because of COVID-19 will force coaches to keep a closer eye on scholarships than they typically would, in the event that an upperclassman who previously would’ve graduated decides to use it and returns for an extra year. That would take some sorting out, but it also sounds like conversations would take place beforehand so nobody is blindsided.
But as it pertains to the more general aspects of roster management and his program, Izzo made his stance clear.
“They will never get run out of here unless he’s not doing what he needs to do because that’s my obligation to him,” Izzo said. “I’m afraid that’s going to be the norm. That’s why I’m against some of these things. I’m afraid it’s gonna be the wild, wild west on steroids. So, I have my reasons for how I feel. I also have an obligation to the players I recruit.”
Michigan State believes its shooting will be a strength
A year ago, Michigan State shot 32.1 percent on 3-pointers — good for 252nd nationally. It was the second-worst shooting team of the Izzo era, only topped by the 1997 squad (32 percent). It was a struggle, to say the least, but players see brighter days ahead. They think it could become a strength.
“Definitely,” Hauser said when asked if shooting could be a strength for this team. “Gabe, in practice, has been really good. He’s shot the ball really well. He’s gonna be getting a lot more shots than he had last year. Max has done a really good job as well. Some days, you forget he’s a freshman. He’s been doing really good. I think between those two guys, they can really shoot the ball.”
Brown is back after converting 42 percent on 3.2 attempts per game. Expect him to launch more this year. Izzo says Christie has “deep, deep, deep range,” and that has been on display since his arrival. Hauser is a natural 3-point shooter — he just needs someone to get him the looks. That could be Walker, who isn’t bad from distance himself. He averaged 2.1 made 3s per game on 35.4 percent at Northeastern. Even Hall says his shooting stroke, particularly his confidence, has improved. He said he’s more confident in his shot.
Izzo said MSU has a chance to be a very good shooting team, as well as a strong passing team. More than anything, the biggest change from last year to this year could be improved point guard play. MSU’s guards struggled to create open looks and find players in rhythm. Players say MSU’s ball movement has been emphasized, and Izzo says he has an unselfish team with point guards capable of finding the open man. He expects that to boost the games of Hauser and Brown and expects Christie to be a key player with his natural shooting stroke.
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As for unknowns, Izzo didn’t seem totally sold on his team’s defense but added that’s something he should be able to control. Shooting is more personnel-based. After last year, he likes what he has.
Izzo doesn’t know who his star player is
No Henry. No Cassius Winston. No Xavier Tillman. This year’s Michigan State team is still waiting for a star to emerge. There are a few ways to look at that.
“If there’s one thing I’ve really enjoyed about this team, (it’s that) it’s egoless,” Izzo said. “If you ask who the star player is, I’m not sure I could answer you. It’s not been that way many years.”
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and it’s not like there aren’t options. Christie could take on a scoring load early, and The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie has him going 16th overall to the Pacers in his NBA Mock Draft 2.0 released this week. Brown and Hauser should improve with better point guard play and more looks, something they already have noticed happening in practice. Izzo said he expects guys to get shots when they’re open, not as a last resort.
“The ball’s always moving,” Hauser said. “When it’s not moving, it’s something we’ve gotta fix. Our best days that we’ve had so far is when the ball is really moving and a lot of different guys are getting shots.”
Of course, the no-star dynamic could end up hurting the team if strides aren’t made. Improvement across the board is key. But unlike last year, not having a clear-cut go-to scorer could make for a less stagnant offense. Henry isn’t around to bail out the team or serve as the closer. In a way, that could benefit some players and force them to work together, rather than relying on Henry to play hero ball late in games. That could end up being the difference.
(Top photo: Malik Hall: Adam Ruff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)