Michigan State Basketball: Did 2018-19 season tack years onto Tom Izzo’s career?
The career of Tom Izzo seemed to be winding down, but the Michigan State basketball coach may have just tacked years on after 2018-19.
Tom Izzo will be 65 years old in January of next season. His career seems to be winding down after coaching for 24 years in East Lansing, but something happened in 2018-19 that changed things.
A team may have just tacked on years to his career which is something he probably didn’t think was possible after the nightmarish 2017-18 season with off-court distractions and investigations into his program for handling of certain player issues.
Heck, there were even rumors after last season that he had just a couple of years left in the tank, at most, and some within the program felt that he wasn’t far off from retirement.
That all changed after coaching the 2018-19 team which he claims has “reinvigorated” him.
Izzo says his players "reinvigorated" him this year and feels farther away from retirement now than in other recent years
— Kyle Austin (@kylebaustin) April 10, 2019
That statement is huge. Not only because this year’s Final Four team was just about everyone’s favorite in the past decade-plus, but it’s an indicator, too, that he may be far from retirement.
Two or three years would have been just fine after last season and even following this year’s run, but with a statement like that, it seems like Izzo could be 4-5 years away. He seems like he’s ready to coach until he’s 70.
Some things make you hungry and motivated and for Izzo, it’s the quest for No. 2. That second national title is elusive and he’s been close six times since 2000. He’s no longer content with getting close, but he wants that crown.
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Izzo will have another good chance next season with arguably the preseason No. 1 team residing in East Lansing, but even if he were to win it all, there’s no way he’s calling it a career. That will just ignite the quest for No. 3.