No. 3 Michigan State’s comeback effort against No. 2 UConn came up just a few points short on Friday night. After trailing by 19 points in the first half, the Spartans stormed all the way back and traded blows back and forth with the Huskies over the final 10 minutes before Dan Hurley’s squad ultimately left with the one ticket to the Elite Eight up for grabs.
After the game, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was asked in a roundabout way about his potential retirement. Where does the coach, now 71, see himself in five years?
“Trying to win a national championship, plain and simple,” Izzo replied. “That's it.”
Izzo conceded that the end of the season is always when these questions are going to be raised, but assured media that he had no plans of giving up his spot on the Spartans’ bench any time soon.
“I’m feeling good. We all talk about retirement. Why? What the hell am I going to do? The minute I don't feel good, the minute I don't feel like I'm giving my AD or president or school every ounce of energy I have every day or that energy drops, you don't have to worry about it. I don't steal money. I won't steal anybody's time. But it's sure as hell not going to be now. I've got some things to accomplish. I'm going to make damn sure that—I said a couple years ago that I'll find a way to get back there. We've knocked on the door twice. We haven't gotten back. We'll get back.”
Tom Izzo on retirement speculation. 👀
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 28, 2026
“I’m feeling good. We’ll talk about retirement—why? What the hell am I going to do? The minute I don’t feel good, the minute I don’t feel like I’m giving my AD, president, or school every ounce of energy I have every day… you won’t have to… pic.twitter.com/TEaKNlJFGc
Izzo is one of the best coaches in all of college basketball, but at 71, it’s fair to ask about his projected timeline. Roy Williams retired at 70. Mike Krzyzewski coached until 75. As things stand, Izzo sounds like he’s hoping to at the very least match Krzyzewski, while also taking it a year at a time.
Izzo wasn’t the only high-profile coach to shut down retirement rumors on Friday night, as LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey offered a similarly defiant statement following the Tigers’ loss to Duke in the Sweet 16.
Longest tenured coaches in men’s college basketball
Izzo has held the top job at Michigan State for three decades, and as such is one of the longest tenured coaches in the history of the sport. Here’s a list of the other active coaches who have held on to their respective jobs the longest for comparison.
| Coach | School | Year hired | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Kampe | Oakland | 1984 | 70 |
| Tom Izzo | Michigan State | 1985 | 71 |
| James Jones | Yale | 1999 | 62 |
| Mark Few | Gonzaga | 1999 | 63 |
| Scott Drew | Baylor | 2003 | 55 |
| Bill Self | Kansas | 2003 | 63 |
| Gary Manchel | Mercyhurst | 2003 | 63 |
| Matt Painter | Purdue | 2005 | 55 |
| Chris Mooney | Richmond | 2005 | 53 |
| Jon Judkins | Utah Tech | 2005 | 62 |
| Bill Coen | Northeastern | 2006 | 64 |
| Ben Jacobson | Northern Iowa | 2006 | 55 |
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
- March Madness: Four Bold Predictions for Women’s Elite Eight
- Raven Johnson Recruited BFF Ta’Niya Latson and South Carolina Is Reaping the Benefits
- UConn Thought Its Run Was Over a Year Ago. Turns Out, It Was Just Beginning.
- Texas Has Cruised to the Elite Eight. Now It’s Time for the Hard Part.
- Michigan Is Playing Like a No. 1 Seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tom Izzo Shoots Down Retirement Talk: ‘What the Hell Am I Going to Do?’.
