Tom Izzo spoke to NBC Sports recently and talked about his eventual retirement and he says it’s not happening any time soon.
The conversation surrounding Tom Izzo and a potential retirement has never been greater this year. Maybe it’s because a few of the other greats have recently retired, but this year is probably the year Izzo has talked about retirement the most.
Could he be retiring soon? It probably depends on what your definition of soon is, but let’s hear from coach himself on when he might decide to call it quits.
In the above interview with NBC Sports, Izzo talked about when he might retire. Thankfully for Spartan fans, it doesn’t sound like it will be anytime soon. This is what Izzo shared about when he may retire.
“The minute I don’t feel I have the energy to take a red eye, the minute I don’t feel like I have the energy to motivate a kid… I’m walking away.”
Izzo then went on to say, “I don’t see that anytime in the near future.”
This is the best news possible for Michigan State. Sure the last few years haven’t been the best on the court, but Izzo is one of the goats for a reason. We will never see another coach as great as him in our lifetimes in East Lansing, so we need to cherish and enjoy having him roam the Breslin Center for as long as it lasts.
How will Izzo retire?
I’ve also always wondered how Tom Izzo will go out. Will he announce his retirement a few days after the last game of his final season? Will he do it during his final postgame press conference? Maybe he’ll tell everyone before his final season begins like Coach K. Based on Izzo’s comments, it sounds like the former.
“The day I’m done, I’m done.”
It’s as simple as that in Izzo’s eyes. He won’t make it a huge deal and he also won’t be giving us a warning. I think I prefer it that way. One thing I didn’t like about Coach K’s retirement is that it made their season all about him. It took so much away from their players and the season they had. So thankfully, it sounds like Izzo has no interest in doing that.
The last thing Izzo said that stood out is “I won’t steal any money from Michigan State.”
Now he obviously doesn’t mean literally stealing, but some coaches will wait until a bonus hits and then announce their retirement (Mark Dantonio). But I also think this means Izzo will do everything he can to set MSU up for future success. Whether that be taking on a role in the athletic department or hand picking his replacement, Izzo will make sure to leave MSU better than he found it.
It will be a sad day whenever Izzo decides to retire. I just hope he’s able to turn the program around and end on top, because nobody in college basketball deserves to more than him.
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