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For 30 years, Tom Izzo has built Michigan State basketball into a national juggernaut.
In that time, he's collected a national championship (2000), eight Final Four appearances, and 11 trips to the Elite Eight — including one in 2025.
Izzo, now 70 years old and showing no signs of slowing down, has made a career out of maximizing his players, especially the under-the-radar types.
You may have heard of Draymond Green.
Originally a three-star recruit from Saginaw, Michigan, Green arrived in East Lansing and fought for everything he earned.
He wasn’t supposed to be the guy, until he stepped on the floor and decided otherwise.
Unlike many of today’s top prospects, Green stayed all four years at his alma mater — and those four years helped him blossom into an all-time Spartan great.
Along the way, he racked up accolades: Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year, Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year, and 2012 Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player. In his final season donning the green and white, he led Michigan State to the Sweet 16 and nearly averaged a double-double.
To cap it off, his No. 23 jersey is retired — permanently etched into Michigan State history.
Despite his college dominance, Green wasn’t a coveted NBA prospect. In fact, staying all four years often hurts your draft stock in today’s NBA.
But Green didn’t let that narrative define him. Instead, he rewrote it.
He was selected 35th overall in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. His first two seasons were relatively quiet — a rotation piece showing flashes but not yet a focal point.
That changed quickly.
In 2014-15, Green became a breakout star, helping Golden State capture its first NBA title in 40 years.
And it didn’t stop there.
He became a key part of the Warriors dynasty, winning four NBA championships, making four All-Star teams, capturing the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, leading the NBA in steals that same season, and earning five All-Defensive Team nods.
USA Basketball took notice too, as Green helped Team USA win Olympic gold in 2016 and 2020.
Not bad for a three-star recruit from Saginaw.
Green's career isn’t done just yet, though he’ll be 35 by the time the 2025-26 season tips off, so the Hall of Fame question is becoming real.
His numbers won’t wow you: 8.7 points per game, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks per game. But his impact has always transcended the box score.
In 2024, defensive ace Michael Cooper was inducted into the Hall of Fame with a career line that’s arguably less impressive than Green’s. So if the bar is set there, it’s hard to argue Green doesn’t deserve the nod.
Sure, he’s rubbed people the wrong way — on the court and off — but you can’t argue the results.
Draymond Green played his role to perfection, and when his career is over, don’t be surprised if the next chapter includes a speech in Springfield.
Stay up to date on all your Michigan State alumni news when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and feel free to share your thoughts when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
Be sure to also like and share our content when you follow us on X @MSUSpartansOnSI.
More must-reads:
- Concerns continue to mount after No. 12 Kentucky's latest loss
- Five things we're liking in the 2025-26 women's college basketball season so far
- The 'Men's Final Four hosts since 2000' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Mark Pope finished his press conference with a bold statement about the rest of Kentucky's season
Five takeaways from AP Top 25 men's basketball poll
In this week's Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll, released on Monday, a new No. 1 team emerges for the second week in a row. Here are five takeaways from the poll. Purdue reclaims top spot from Houston One week after losing the No. 1 ranking to the Cougars, the Boilermakers (4-0) used a late 7-0 run to take down then-No. 8 Alabama in Tuscaloosa and pick up their third road win over a nonconference top-10 opponent in program history. Houston (4-0) overcame a poor shooting performance (43%) to escape with a 73-72 win over No. 22 Auburn on Sunday, securing its 16th win over an AP-ranked opponent since it joined the Big 12 in 2023-24. Both teams added key wins to their resumes, but it is hard to deny that Purdue isn't more deserving of the top ranking right now. UConn holds firm at No. 3 after top-10 win The Huskies withstood a late rally from the seventh-ranked BYU Cougars on Saturday night in a thrilling 86-84 win. While freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa had 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting for BYU, it was the balanced scoring of senior forward Alex Karaban, senior center Tarris Reed Jr. and junior guard Silas Demary Jr., who each had 21 points, that proved to be the difference. UConn (4-0) did not move up from its No. 3 ranking, but with upcoming nonconference games against No. 4 Arizona (Wednesday), No. 8 Illinois (Nov. 28), No. 24 Kansas (Dec. 2) and No. 10 Florida (Dec. 9), plenty of opportunities lie ahead. Louisville rides historic offense to No. 6 ranking The Cardinals (4-0), up six spots to No. 6, defeated their in-state rival and ninth-ranked Kentucky for the first time since 2020 and are averaging 103 points per game through four outings this season, their most in a four-game span since December 1971. As good as the offense has been, the defense has made some key plays as well, something the Wildcats were unable to overcome after some defensive struggles on their end. The schedule will only get more difficult from here, but the historic offense and balanced production from freshman Mikel Brown Jr. (19.3 PPG) and senior Ryan Conwell (19.3 PPG) has been hard to slow down so far. Illinois, Gonzaga keep climbing after impressive starts The Fighting Illini (4-0), up six spots to No. 8, have three straight wins over AP-ranked opponents going back to last season after an 81-77 win over then-No. 11 Texas Tech last week. Neither team played great defensively, but junior guard Andrej Stojakovic was clutch with 23 points and a key block on a late three-point attempt to help close out the win. Gonzaga (4-0) moves up six spots to No. 13 after putting up 90 points on then-No. 23 Creighton and pulling away late to take down Arizona State, 77-65, on Saturday. However, with No. 11 Alabama (Nov. 24), No. 12 Kentucky (Dec. 5) and No. 19 UCLA (Dec. 13) lurking on the Bulldogs' schedule, their strong start will really be put to the test. NC State the only newcomer to the poll The Wolfpack (3-0) enter the rankings at No. 25, having scored at least 94 points in all three games. They have not been tested yet, but with senior forward Darrion Williams coming off a career-high 32 points with six threes, 10 rebounds and four steals against UNC Greensboro, NC State appears to be in good hands.
Cowboys' Jerry Jones has made a decision about George Pickens
The Dallas Cowboys made a big gamble in the offseason. On paper, adding George Pickens to the mix was going to work wonders for the passing game. However, Pickens had a long history of character issues, and watching Mike Tomlin essentially give up on him wasn't an encouraging sign. Fast forward to today, and the Georgia product has finally shown what he's capable of. That's why he may not be going anywhere. Jerry Jones wants to keep George Pickens around Cowboys insider Jon Machota of The Athletic reported that Jones affirmed that he's willing to spend big bucks to keep Pickens around, even though he's already committed more than $60 million a year to defensive tackles. Jones had previously been more tight-lipped about this situation, claiming that money would obviously be a factor to consider. But after watching Pickens haul in nine receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown in the 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, he may have changed his stance. Jerry Jones gushes about George Pickens' performance Following the win, the Cowboys owner/GM had nothing but praise for the former second-round pick. "Pickens was — I’ve never seen a performance like that. It was poetic the way that he was making those moves out there. It was like he was in an opera or something out there. A ballet," Jones said, per Pro Football Talk. Character concerns aside, Pickens has all the talent in the world, and his tandem with CeeDee Lamb is one of the most explosive in the league. He's up to 58 receptions on 83 targets for 908 yards and seven touchdowns in his first 10 games with the Cowboys, and he's looking at a big payday this offseason.
Steve Spurrier has two endorsements for next Florida HC
Steve Spurrier is a legend for the Florida Gators. Known as "the head ball coach" down in SEC-land, Spurrier was a star both as a player and as a coach for Florida. Heck, the dang field in Gainesville is named after him. That means what he says about the Florida program carries a lot of weight, and he recently revealed that he believes there are only two people who would live up to the expectations and be a great fit for the Gators as they look to replace fired head coach Billy Napier sooner rather than later. “I know Lane Kiffin and I know Eli Drinkwitz,” Spurrier recently said, according to Daniel Hager of On3. “Obviously, either one of those guys would be super if it works out. But, it’s a long way from whoever we’re going to get as our coach right now.” The Gators are currently making a full-court press for Lane Kiffin, but they're not alone in their pursuit in the Ole Miss head coach. While the Gators reportedly flew members of Kiffin's family down to Gainesville to check things out recently, the LSU Tigers also pulled the same trick — hoping to get Kiffin to ultimatly come down to Baton Rouge. LSU is probably Florida's biggest competitor for Kiffin right now, but there's also Ole Miss to consider. It's not like the Rebels are going to let a coach who has led them to a 54-19 record over the past six seasons go without a fight. Kiffin would absolutely be a home-run hire for the Gators, though. He's a high-level recruiter and a high-level offensive mind in the SEC. Those are two things that the Gators desperately need in the wake of the middling Napier era. Not only that, but Kiffin has ties to the state. He was the head coach at Florida Atlantic from 2017-19. Eli Drinkwitz an interesting option for Florida if it can't land Lane Kiffin Drinkwitz is another interesting option, though. You'll also notice that there's a trend here for Florida, and that's going after established SEC head coaches. Napier had come from the Sun Belt conference. Drinkwitz has made Missouri a tough out in the SEC and he's won a ton of football games. His overall record at Mizzou is 45-27, though his record in big games does leave a little to be desired. He's 7-14 against ranked opponents and 0-7 against top-10 teams. Still, Drinkwitz is a young coach at just 42, so the upside is there. He's a big personality who does well on the recruiting trail, and he could do a lot of good things with the firepower of the Florida Gators behind him. There are other options out there for Florida. Washington head coach Jedd Fisch is a Florida alumnus, for instance. If Spurrier has narrowed it down to Kiffin and Drinkwitz in his mind, though, you can bet those in power at Florida are likely thinking the same thing.
Former Heisman winner has bold take on James Franklin, Virginia Tech
It makes sense for the Virginia Tech Hokies to be excited about the addition of James Franklin as their new head coach. Franklin was fired by Penn State for failing to live up to the championship expectations in Happy Valley. For a program looking to get back on its feet and reestablish itself in this new era of college football, though, Franklin is a home run hire. Virginia Tech now has a bona fide head coach who can win games and recruit at a high level. Let's not talk about winning "the big one" for now. Right now, the Hokies just need to get back into that conversation, and Franklin is great for them in that regard. Getting into the conversation is one thing. Staying there is another, and it's worth noting that one college football commentator, former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III, thinks this will be the move that helps put VT back in that stratosphere. “Virginia Tech will become an ACC contender year in and year out with James Franklin as Head Coach,” Griffin said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. James Franklin will need time to turn things around at Virginia Tech It's one thing to be excited about this move for the Hokies because it is a big-time hire for them. To say that they'll be a contender "year in and year out" is a bit of a premature statement at this moment, though. Franklin can absolutely get them there, but it's going to take time for him to rebuild this program. The Hokies have pledged to put $229M into the athletics budget over the next four years, and you can bet a ton of that is going to go to Franklin so that he can hire good coaches and attract players with big-time NIL deals on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal. The Hokies haven't had a 10-win season since 2016, though, so even in this era when quick turnarounds are possible, giving Franklin a year or two of cushion would be smart. His getting VT to the top of the ACC every season is an idea that also flies in the face of the reputation that he earned at Penn State. Sure, the ACC is in no way as stacked as the Big Ten, but Clemson, Florida State and Miami are huge brands with a ton of money and momentum behind them that won't be going anywhere. Though Franklin did get PSU into the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff last season, it's worth remembering that he was 4-21 against AP top-10 opponents at Penn State and 1-18 against top-10 opponents from within the Big Ten. That's a .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 teams, and that's not going to get magically better just because he's coaching in the ACC now. If he's going to get Virginia Tech back into the college football limelight, it's going to be much harder than just showing up when "Enter Sandman" starts playing. He's certainly talented enough of a coach and recruiter to do it, but let's pump the brakes and let him get settled into his new office before we start talking about Virginia Tech once again being a top program.
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