Jeff Riger: Izzo Takes The Podium!
Less than 48 hours after pounding his fist on a podium in Ann Arbor saying "lets get the rivalry really going", (while addressing the Kalin Lucas throwing the ball at Darius Morris incident) Izzo stepped to a podium in East Lansing to give his weekly address to a throng of Michigan State media. Before the news conference Izzo also spoke at a Big Ten teleconference where he answered some very "unique" questions for himself.
Media question: Was taking so much time in the off season to decide whether to take the Cleveland Cavalier head coaching job a distraction for your team? Can that be part of the reason why MSU has struggled so much this year?
Izzo: "I got a phone call last week that somebody had brought up that the NBA thing was a distraction because I didn't spend any time working on my guys? People should get a clue on what the reality of the job is, if I worked out with my guys at the beginning of June, it would be a NCAA violation and I wouldn't be coaching!"
Media question: This is the time of year that many coaches get fired, how does it affect you when you see coaches that take their team to the tournament or almost get there get let go?
Izzo: "Yeah I think that it's unfair, you know when you look at football you don't see many guys that make a bowl game get fired. You look at so many different factors, just your schedule alone can have a factor on a guy losing his job or not, because one game can make the difference if you get in or not. We signed up for this as coaches but I think it's getting more and more unfair and it's one of the sad things about this profession."
Media question: Have you had the chance to look at the incident at the end of the Michigan game where it looked like Kalin Lucas threw the ball at Darius Morris? (Izzo said on Saturday after the game that he would look into it and that maybe Morris deserved it because he was talking trash during both games they played and he went for a layup with just 3 seconds left when Michigan had the game won.)
Izzo: "It was ridiculous, there was nothing to it. It was probably two guys jawing and that's about all I got out of it. I apologize ahead of time but I have no interest in talking about something that was a non factor."
Media question: Can Michigan State flip that so called "switch" and have another deep run in the Big Ten and NCAA tournament?
Izzo: "These guys have played in I think 14 one and done moments in the NCAA tournament over the last three years. When you do that, that's the experience that you can't make up for. They know what it's like; I don't think there is a magical switch that you turn on, a wand or sprinkling fairy dust on somebody. But I do think they understand it because they have been there."
Media question: On playing Iowa for the third time this season, this game in the first round of the Big ten tournament?
Izzo: "The first time we played them we lose by 20 some, the second time we win by 20 some. This is really a tossup in some ways, they probably feel like they didn't play well here and I feel like we played one of our worst games there, so I don't know. At least we are not playing against 4 guards like it seems we have the majority of the season."
Media question: Has Durrell Summers just accepted that he will struggle shooting and try to do other things to win instead?
Izzo: "For a guard to get 13 rebounds is monumental. (Like he did against Michigan) Now I think he can do that on a regular basis, not maybe that many but I think he is a good enough athlete, strong enough, tough enough where I think he can do those things. That's one of the frustrating parts of the year, I can understand the lack of shooting the ball but I have trouble understanding it because there is NOBODY that has worked harder on his shooting that Durrell, NOBODY!"
Michigan State takes on Iowa Thursday in the 1st round of the Big Ten tournament. If the Spartans advance past the Hawkeyes they will play Purdue in the second round on Friday. In order for MSU to get another crack at Michigan this season, both teams would have to make it to the finals of the tournament. Many college basketball experts have Michigan State in the NCAA tournament being forced to take part in the play in game in Dayton Ohio.
