Sunday marked another milestone moment in Tom Izzo’s coaching career, one that has been filled with plenty of those moments since he was named the head men’s college basketball coach at Michigan State back in 1995.
The 69-year-old Izzo returned to his alma mater this weekend when his MSU team took on Northern Michigan in an exhibition game at the sold-out Superior Dome, located on NMU’s campus.
While the game resulted in a 70-53 victory for Izzo’s Spartans, it was what occurred during the game that marked a moment to remember for the veteran coach, as his No. 10 Northern Michigan jersey was retired by the school in a ceremony at center court.
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Izzo starred at Northern Michigan from 1973-77, being named a Division II All-American in his senior season. He served as an assistant coach at NMU from 1979-83 before being hired as an assistant coach at Michigan State from 1983-95. Izzo was named the head coach at MSU in 1995 and is now set to enter his 30th season as the Spartans’ coach.
During his 29 seasons at MSU, Izzo has the most wins in school history (707) and has appeared in 26 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, which is the longest streak of tournament appearances all-time in men’s college basketball.
Izzo and the Spartans enter the 2024-25 season with hopes of getting back to the Final Four, which would mark Izzo’s ninth appearance. His team is led by senior guard Jaden Akins — MSU’s leading returning scorer from last season — and sophomore standout Xavier Booker, who combined for 14 points in Sunday’s exhibition win.
Thirty-seven of the Spartans’ 70 points came from freshmen — including redshirt guard Jeremy Fears — or transfers. MSU freshman Jase Richardson led the team in points (11) and assists (four), while transfer center Szymon Zapala grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.
“I felt I was going to do this thing, and, you know, it could bomb,” Izzo said. “There’d be 4 or 5,000 people in this big arena, and there’d be nobody there. I had a few sleepless nights over that. And boy, little did I know that we weren’t just Spartan strong and Wildcat strong, we were U.P. (Upper Peninsula) strong. And that was touching, to say the least.”
During the game, Izzo’s best friend and former Northern Michigan classmate, Steve Mariucci, called into the Big Ten Network broadcast to congratulate his closest friend.
It was a memorable day for Izzo, and one he’ll likely remember for years to come.
“This wasn’t a one-dimensional trip,” Izzo added. “It was a three- or four-dimensional trip.”
Izzo and the Spartans are set to open the 2024-25 regular season on Nov. 4 against Monmouth.
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