March 31, 2010
Despite success, Tom Izzo stays true to his home state’s values
BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
EAST LANSING — He cringes at the word “genius.” Rolls his eyes at rumors that a Brink’s truck with a Nike swoosh on the license plate will steer him toward a paradise unattainable in his home state.
Praise makes Tom Izzo suspicious.
Are those genuflecting before him after a remarkable sixth Final Four in 12 seasons actually conspirators attempting to pull him away from the values that have defined his program — and, in a larger sense, his home state?
“I tell my players all the time,” Izzo said Tuesday, “there are traps out there for those who get comfortable with what they’ve achieved. But that’s not a problem for those who are never
comfortable until they accomplish more.”
Izzo is uncomfortable because he’s the national story line this time.
In 2000, it was the Flintstones and how a group of childhood friends from a dying-yet-proud industrial town gave toughness and resilience a voice. In 2009, it was giving economically ravaged Detroit an opportunity to thump its chest without apology as the Spartans momentarily commuted Ford Field’s purgatorial Lions sentence.
But now it’s about the man who vowed when he replaced Jud Heathcote 15 years ago that he could build and sustain a winning program by applying the tenets from his modest Iron
Mountain upbringing: work hard, speak softly and take responsibility.
They’ll initially frown about this down the road in Ann Arbor, but even they must concede that Izzo might be the only true “Michigan Man” we’ve had in sports here. Born here. Raised here. Left here once, only to quickly return. Realized his ultimate dream here. Excelled here. Really has no interest to leave here.
“I’m very proud of that,” he said. “This has been important to me. This state is important to me. I said when I first got the job, if other people could see what I’ve done, and it helps them get to where they want to get, I’d feel really proud about that.”
This Final Four provides the country with another opportunity to learn about this state’s richness of character, humility and perseverance — elements not reflected in monthly
unemployment figures nor shrinking population numbers.
Contact DREW SHARP: 313-223-4055 or dsharp@freepress.com. Catch “Shep and Sharp” 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WDFN-AM (1130).
Join Drew for a live chat about MSU basketball at 2 p.m. Thursday at freep.com/sports. Then come back Saturday evening as Shawn Windsor live-blogs the Final Four game vs. Butler. Should be fun!
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