Tom Izzo's Michigan State team moved to 3–0 on the young year by easily handing San José State on Thursday night. The host Spartans held a 23-point halftime lead over the visiting Spartans, which allowed them to overcome a sleepy final 20 minutes that brought things closer on the scoreboard than they really needed to be. MSU wound up with a 79–60 win.
Izzo, who would have found something to coach up even if his team had breezed to a 50-point victory, now has plenty to go over as MSU prepares for a showcase game next Tuesday against Kentucky. His frustration was evident down the stretch at the Breslin Center and manifested in the form of him really getting the faces of some of his returning starters.
He was asked if he believes this year's roster is a group that can handle his demanding style during his post-game media availability and offered up a memorable answer.
"What do you want me to do?" Izzo asked. “Hug and kiss them? Want me to 'guys, you're doing alright'? Nah, it's not my style so when you say I'm being demanding of them, what the hell are you supposed to be doing?"
"What do you want me to do? Hug and kiss them?"
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Coddling his players isn't Tom Izzo's style. pic.twitter.com/Zg774TFPP8
“We got guys who want to play at the next level, we've got guys who want to win championships. We want guys who want to get better every day. Wanting to and doing it are two different things.”
Izzo concluded his answer by promising everyone that MSU's free-throw shooting would change. Through three games the Spartans are 59-of-88 from the charity stripe, good for 67%. By the time you're reading this post, they’ve likely been in the gym since the break of dawn to get that number up.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tom Izzo Has No Apologies for Being a Demanding Coach in Colorful Quote.
