Tom Izzo and Rocket Watts share cool moment on the court (Video)

Originally posted on Spartan Shadows | By Daily MSU | Last updated 12/19/23

Tom Izzo is still a big fan of Rocket Watts and made sure to show him that on Monday night during the MSU-Oakland game.

In case you missed it, former Spartan star Rocket Watts returned to the Breslin Center as Michigan State took on Oakland on Monday night.

As I’m sure you all know, Rocket was a key member of our program between 2019-2021 before transferring. This was his second game at the Breslin Center since transferring, and this time things went great for him.

Funny moment between Izzo and Rocket

You rarely see Tom Izzo interact with opposing players during the game. That is unless that player used to play for him. When that’s the case, you’re almost guaranteed to get a moment like this. As the first half was ending, Oakland gained possession after a jump ball and Rocket went to inbound the ball. This happened right next to Izzo, and both Rocket and Tom slapped each other on the back.

Tom Izzo slaps opposing player! pic.twitter.com/tJ0FJa8HJb

— Casual Big Ten (@casualbigten) December 19, 2023

This was Tom’s way of saying nice job and appreciating the effort his former player was giving. Izzo wanted to crush Rocket and Oakland, but knowing the great person he is, I’m not surprised to see him show love to Rocket like this.

Tom Izzo gives credit to Rocket for past success

Tom Izzo has always given Rocket a lot of praise since he left the program. Izzo even had this to say about the 2020 Big Ten Championship they won when Rocket was a freshman, “We don’t win the Big Ten without Rocket Watts.”

That year, as a freshman, Rocket averaged 9.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Rocket’s second season in East Lansing saw the team struggle. So much so that the team was on the NCAA Tournament bubble all season. Rocket came through in a big way late in the season to help preserve our NCAA Tournament streak.

At the end of the 2020-21 season, Rocket exploded for 21 points, four rebounds, and four assists in an upset win over No. 2 Michigan. That win is the reason MSU made the NCAA Tournament that season and Rocket is a big reason why we won.

It’s no secret that Izzo loves all of his former players. But something tells me Rocket has a special place in his heart. Tom wrapped it all up nicely with this quote during his press conference on Monday night, “I am a huge Rocket Watts fan.”

Rocket finished last night with 16 points and four rebounds. Much better than last year’s game where he only scored four points. I’m really happy that he played well, and a lot of other Spartan fans online I saw agree. Something tells me that Izzo was happy to see him play well, too.

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

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