Sports: Sideline Success Marks Izzo's Debut

Tom Izzo survived his 'baptism by fire' and showed promise in his debut as head coach. Forget the record, which was average. Forget the Big Ten finish, which was what many had predicted. What counted most for MSU basketball fans in 1995-96 was the answer to one question: Can Tom Izzo coach?

The answer was a clear 'yes.' For proof, one needs go no further than the television set. The basketball analysts, time and again during the early Big Ten season, plugged rookie Izzo for Big Ten Coach of the Year consideration. Indeed, it was intriguing to see how he, and assistants Stan Joplin, Tom Crean and Brian Gregory, were able to manufacture wins with very limited talent.

During the first half of the conference season, MSU found ways to eke out wins despite its finite scoring proficiency. In the beginning, however, winning seemed ever so improbable, as Izzo faced a gauntlet of powerhouses--the likes of North Carolina, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Kansas State. All ranked teams, they loomed as obstacles even before the Big Ten's dog-eat-dog race. 'It was scary, seeing how every coach we played had 500 or more wins,' says Izzo. 'Dean Smith has more than 800. Numbers don't affect games, and yet they indicate experience, and that's a big factor.'

Izzo's roller coaster 6-6 start was unsurprising. But between the highs and lows he proved he could stand toe to toe against the very best. The rookie looked like a veteran as he notched victories against icons like Bobby Knight, Nolan Richardson and Eddie Sutton. He masterminded an explosive 6-2 start in Big Ten play--good enough to tie for first place. The success must have stunned media experts, who in the preseason had picked MSU to finish anywhere from 7th to 10th place.

With Izzo pacing the sidelines like mentor Jud Heathcote, making what seemed like all the right calls, MSU won road games at Illinois and Minnesota, beat highly-rated Indiana and Iowa, and upset top-ten ranked, league-leading Penn State before a delirious home crowd on January 31. Suddenly, a team without experienced guards--one that had lost to Central Michigan and Detroit--was battling for the Big Ten title! The effort put forth by the players seemed to match the coaching intensity, one manifested not so much by head thuds as by anti-gravity leaps off the bench.

Tied for the conference lead in early February, Izzo and his troops sallied forth to West Lafayette for a first-place showdown against Purdue. The 14,123 raucous fans packing Mackey Arena saw a physical bangfest as two 'blue- collar' teams hustled and muscled each other. The Boilermakers barely prevailed, 56-51, and subsequently waltzed to the league title. 'I thought our kids hung in there,' said Izzo afterwards, fighting back tears of pride. 'In the short time I've been the head coach at Michigan State, I've never been prouder of a group of guys who went in and played as hard as they could play.' Indeed, the Spartan players made a serious run in Big Ten competition before running out of gas.

Many players seemed vastly improved. Senior Quinton Brooks, who was not a great shooter three years ago, emerged as a cat-quick scorer who can create his own shot from anywhere in the paint. He was among the Big Ten's leading scorers, averaging around 17 points and 6 rebounds. Senior Jaimie Feick established himself as a dominant force inside, as a deft outside shooter, and even as a passer. He led the Big Ten with 9.5 rebounds a game. In addition, Feick often launched assists from the top of the key, perhaps defining a novel 'point center' role. Rounding up the front line's 'Backyard Storm' was junior Jon Garavaglia, a former Michigan 'Mr. Basketball' boasting a smooth fadeaway jump shot, and freshman power forward Antonio Smith--a strong, physical player who acquitted himself well performing unsung tasks like blocking out, screening and rebounding.

Coming off the bench, senior Daimon Beathea provided defensive intensity and also key baskets at opportune moments. Although inexperience prevailed at the guard spots, with the 'Fire and Ice' duo of Shawn Respert and Eric Snow now in the NBA, the new guards improved during the season. Despite a rash of injuries, junior Ray Weathers used his athleticism to make things happen and hit critical shots, hitting .458 from three- point range. Redshirt freshman point guard Thomas Kelley, after two years of inactivity, showed some flashes of his quickness. Freshman swingman Jason Klein displayed an outside shooting touch even though his shot had been reconstructed.

Unfortunately, the Spartans ran out of steam at season's end--'probably more mentally than physically,' in Izzo's words. The MSU cagers lost rematches against Penn State in Happy Valley and against Minnesota at home, the latter a heartbreaking one-point loss in double overtime. After that, MSU fell at Iowa, against Wisconsin and at Michigan. Hopes for an NCAA bid faded in the stretch. 'We may have been mentally burnt out,' analyzes Izzo. 'When every possession is critical because we're not very good at scoring, that will wear on you mentally.' Yet Izzo's name was among those mentioned for postseason coaching honors, after Purdue's Gene Keady and Penn State's Jerry Dunn.

It seemed that coaching played a major role in MSU's achievements, however few, this season. 'I can't wait to be a sophomore,' says Izzo. 'I made my share of freshman mistakes. Also, Jud warned me the refs would treat me like a freshman, and he was right.'

But there's one thing that won't change--his grind-it-out, outwork your opponent philosophy. As Izzo is fond of reiterating, 'I'm a basketball coach with a football mentality.' If so, fans anxiously await his 'second and long' strategy.