Michigan State basketball: Tom Izzo adds perspective to season’s slow start

Originally posted on Spartan Shadows | By Daily MSU | Last updated 12/22/23

Despite a tough start to the season, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo never panicked. The journey is tough.

Michigan State basketball is finally heading in the right direction this season. Three straight wins by at least 17 points has our team looking like we thought they’d be all along.

Unfortunately, we all know the season didn’t start so well. The Spartans suffered their slowest start in quite some time at 4-5 this year. Many fans were starting to panic at this point, but it doesn’t sound like Tom Izzo was one of them. After MSU’s 99-55 win over Stony Brook, Tom Izzo added some perspective to the slow start this year.

Tom Izzo’s perspective on slow start

Here is what Izzo had to say about his team’s slow start:

“I think too many people look at the end goal instead of the journey to get there, and the journey to get there is hard.”

Following MSU's blowout win over Stony Brook, head coach Tom Izzo said:

"I think too many people look at the end goal instead of the journey to get there, and the journey to get there is hard."

For this and more thoughts from Izzo, click below:https://t.co/Ouomna093G

— Spartans Illustrated (@SpartansRivals) December 22, 2023

In case you had any doubts, Izzo knows what he’s talking about. He has his mind set on greatness, not any one individual regular season game. Now this doesn’t mean Izzo doesn’t care about or doesn’t try to win every game because he obviously does. But Izzo understands that there is more to the season than any one loss. He understands that a lot can be learned from any loss, and no one loss will ruin any season.

Winning is hard

At the end of the day, I think this is what Izzo is trying to say in this quote. Winning is hard. He’s by no means making any excuses, but he knows that losing is sometimes part of the process to becoming a great team.

This is also a gentle reminder of all the success we have seen under Izzo in the NCAA Tournament, especially when we weren’t necessarily expecting it. How many times have we had an average regular season only to hit our stride and make a run in the NCAA Tournament? It even happened last year when we made the Sweet 16 as a 7-seed.

Yes, winning regular-season games matters. Yes, winning a Big Ten title matters. But even after our slow start, all of our goals are still in front of us. A Big Ten regular season and tournament title are still possible as well as a Final Four and national championship. So even though Michigan State basketball has had a rough start this year, the team is finally coming together and looks ready to make a run at some championships.

This article first appeared on Spartan Shadows and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: