Tom Izzo (born January 30, 1955 in Iron Mountain, Michigan) is the men's basketball coach for Michigan State University. Under Izzo, the program has been one of the most successful in the country, having won a national championship in 2000 and sent many players to the NBA. The Spartans have reached the Final Four in four of the past eight seasons, more than any other team during that time. Izzo has won four national coach of the year awards. His 233 wins in his first ten years as head coach rank seventh in the history of college basketball. His streak of three straight Final Four appearances from 1999-2001 is the third-longest of all time.[1] January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Iron Mountain is a city located in Dickinson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA. // History The game of basketball was devised by James Naismith in 1891. ... In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of an athletic team or of individual athletes. ... Michigan State University (MSU) is a public university in East Lansing, Michigan. ... See also: 1999 in sports, other events of 2000, 2001 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto Racing Stock car racing: Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 NASCAR Championship - Bobby Labonte Indy Racing League - Buddy Lazier won the season championship Indianapolis 500- Juan Pablo Montoya CART Racing... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... Spartan Stadium hosts varsity football games and other events. ... Final Four is a sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Head coach at Michigan State

Hired as head coach at Michigan State in 1995, Izzo is currently the longest-tenured basketball coach in the Big Ten Conference. After going to the NIT in 1996 and 1997, Michigan State began a streak of nine straight NCAA tournament appearances which has not yet been broken. He has coached his teams to four regular-season Big Ten championships and two Big Ten Tournament titles. Since he became head coach, every player that he has recruited and who completed their full eligibility has gone to the Final Four. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Big Ten redirects here. ... The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is a mens college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... NCAA Basketball logo The NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship is held each spring featuring 65 college basketball teams in the United States. ... Big Ten Conference mens basketball regular season champions: 1906: Minnesota 1907: Chicago, Minnesota & Wisconsin 1908: Chicago & Wisconsin 1909: Chicago 1910: Chicago 1911: Minnesota & Purdue 1912: Wisconsin 1913: Wisconsin 1914: Wisconsin 1915: Illinois 1916: Wisconsin 1917: Illinois & Minnesota 1918: Wisconsin 1919: Minnesota 1920: Chicago 1921: Michigan, Purdue & Wisconsin 1922: Purdue... The Big Ten Conference mens basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the mens college basketball regular season. ...

Coaching philosophy

Izzo's teams are known for toughness and rebounding. Izzo got attention when people learned of his "war" rebounding drills, in which the players have sometimes worn football helmets and shoulder pads. [2] His motto is "Players Play – Tough Players Win". [3]

Player development

Five of Izzo's players have been named to All-America teams. Since 2000, ten have been selected in the NBA draft, third most in the NCAA. Six of those went in the first round. Some of the notable alumni are Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell, Mateen Cleaves, Zach Randolph, Jason Richardson, Alan Anderson, Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager, and Paul Davis. This article is about the year 2000. ... The NBA Draft is an annual U.S. event in which the National Basketball Associations (NBA) thirty teams can select young players who wish to join the league. ... The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA, often said NC-Double-A) is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletics programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. ... Morris Peterson (born August 26, 1977 in Flint, Michigan, USA) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. Peterson played collegiate basketball at Michigan State University, and helped lead them to the 2000 NCAA title. ... Charlie Will Bell III (born March 12, 1979 in Flint, Michigan) is an NBA basketball player who currently plays point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks. ... Mateen Cleaves (born September 7, 1977 in Flint, Michigan) is a professional basketball player most recently playing for the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA. Cleaves led the Michigan State basketball team to a national championship in 2000 and won the Most Outstanding Player award. ... Zach Randolph (born July 16, 1981 in Marion, Indiana) is a player in the National Basketball Association. ... Jason Anthoney J-Rich Richardson (born January 20, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan) is a professional basketball player, currently playing guard for the National Basketball Associations Golden State Warriors. ... Alan Jeffery Anderson (born on October 16, 1982 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is a professional basketball player in the NBA for the Charlotte Bobcats. ... Shannon Brown, who will be seen at Farm Aid 2005, is the product of a small town in Iowa and of a childhood filled with the music floating out of the nightclubs and restaurants her parents owned. ... Maurice Ager (born February 9, 1984, in Detroit, Michigan) was a shooting guard for the Michigan State Spartans from 2002 until 2006. ... Paul Davis may refer to: Paul Davis (programmer), British programmer Paul Davis (footballer) (born 1961), English footballer Paul Davis (singer) (born 1948), American singer Paul Davis (Stargate), fictional character in the Stargate SG-1 television series Paul Davis (basketball) (born 1984), college basketball center for the Michigan State Spartans Paul...

Coaching tree

Several of Izzo's former assistants are currently head coaches at other schools:

• Tom Crean, Marquette University
• Brian Gregory, University of Dayton
• Stan Heath, University of Arkansas
• Stan Joplin, University of Toledo
• Doug Wojcik,University of Tulsa

Tom Crean (born March 25, 1966 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States) is the current head mens basketball coach at Marquette University. ... Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university in the United States. ... The University of Dayton is a premier private Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio. ... Stan Heath is the head mens basketball coach at the University of Arkansas Razorbacks (located in Fayetteville, Arkansas. ... The University of Arkansas, known also as the U of A or UA, is a public co-educational land-grant university. ... The University of Toledo is a public university situated in Toledo, Ohio. ... Doug Wojcik is the mens basketball coach at the University of Tulsa. ... The University of Tulsa is a private, comprehensive university awarding bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ...

Playing career

Raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan, Izzo attended Northern Michigan University from 1973-1977, where he played guard for the basketball team. In his senior season, he set a school record for minutes played and was named a Division II All-American. He is still close friends with Iron Mountain High School football teammate and NMU graduate, former Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci. Northern Michigan University is an American four year accredited institution of postsecondary learning located in Marquette, Michigan. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Division II (or DII) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. ... All-American, a Broadway musical with book by Mel Brooks, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Lee Adams, opened in New York on March 19, 1962, and played 80 performances. ... // This is a list of high schools in the state of Michigan. ... City Detroit, Michigan Team colors Honolulu Blue, Silver, and Black Head Coach Rod Marinelli Owner William Clay Ford, Sr. ... Steve Mariucci Steve Mariucci (born November 4, 1955) is a former National Football League coach, most recently for the Detroit Lions. ...

Early coaching career

After graduating from Northern Michigan, Izzo was head coach at Ishpeming High School for one season before returning to NMU where he worked as an assistant coach until 1983. He then came on staff at Michigan State as an assistant coach under Jud Heathcoate. In 1995, Heathcoate retired and Izzo took over. // This is a list of high schools in the state of Michigan. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jud Heathcote (May 27, 1927 – ) is a former college mens basketball coach. ...

USA basketball

Izzo was head coach of the USA Basketball men's team at the 2003 Pan American Games. Prior to that he was assistant coach of the team that had a 5-0 record and won the gold medal at the 2001 Goodwill Games. USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the national governing body of basketball in United States (USA). ... The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. ... The Goodwill Games were an international athletics competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympics of the 1980s. ...

NBA opportunities

Izzo has had opportunities to become a coach in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks offered him a head coaching job in 2000, following MSU's national championship. [4] He was contacted by the Toronto Raptors in 2004, but stated "I have a commitment to this program and that is to try to win another national championship." [5] The Atlanta Hawks are a professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Operation Hardwood

In 2005 and 2006, Izzo participated in Operation Hardwood, in which college coaches went to Kuwait military camps to coach basketball teams of American servicemembers. Among the other coaches were Kelvin Sampson, Tubby Smith, Gary Williams, and Rick Barnes. In 2005, Izzo's team won the tournament championship. Kelvin Sampson Kelvin Sampson (October 5, 1955 – ), a Lumbee Indian, is the mens basketball coach of the Indiana Hoosiers at Indiana University. ... Tubby Smith Orlando Tubby Smith (born June 30, 1951 in Scotland, Saint Marys County, Maryland) has been the head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky since 1997. ... Gary B. Williams (born March 4, 1945 in Collingswood, New Jersey, United States) is the current head coach of the University of Marylands Mens basketball team. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Season-by-season results

1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Quotes

• “We’ll play anybody, anyplace, anytime. It doesn’t matter, morning, noon or night, and it doesn’t matter who it is.” [6]

Notes

• His .742 winning percentage (23-8 record) in the NCAA tournament ranks third among all active coaches with 10 or more games coached [7]
• Holds Big Ten record 53-game home court winning streak
• Named his son Steven Mateen Izzo in honor of Mateen Cleaves, point guard on the 2000 national championship team
• Inducted to the Northern Michigan University Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Upper Peninsula Hall of Fame in 1998

This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... The Upper Peninsula of Michigan, also known as The Upper Peninsula, The U.P. (or The UP), and Above the Bridge by Michiganders, refers to the northern peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. ...

References

• NCAA Tournament records CSTV.com, March 14, 2006, retrieved August 7, 2006
• Active coaches NCAA Tournament winning percentage, retrieved August 7, 2006
• "Spartans are bruisers, and proud of it" by Gary Shelton, St. Petersburg Times, March 23, 2003, retrieved August 7, 2006
• "Spartan Basketball: Training With a Football Mentality" by Ken Mannie and Mike Vorkapich, Scholastic.com, retrieved August 7, 2006
• "Report: Hawks make offer to Izzo" Associated Press wire story, CNNSI.com, May 12, 2000, retrieved August 7, 2006
• "Izzo not interested in Raptors, plans to stay put" by Kelly Theiser, The State News, June 15, 2004, retrieved August 7, 2006
• "Maui Invitational: Strength of Schedule" by Kevin McNeill, Collegehoopsnet.com, November 19th, 2005, retrieved August 7, 2006

External links

• Brief biography on MSU's web site
• "2000 Michiganians of the year: Tom Izzo" by Dave Dye, The Detroit News, April 8, 2001, retrieved August 7, 2006