Has college basketball moved past Tom Izzo?

Michigan State basketball hasn’t been the program we expect over the past few years. But on top of that, Tom Izzo continues to make questionable roster decisions that many fans are becoming increasingly upset with. The most recent example of this is Izzo and his staff earning a commitment from transfer center Szymon Zapala who hasn't been very productive throughout his career.

The past few years along with some questionable decisions this offseason have caused a divide in the fanbase regarding how we should feel about Izzo. Most are upset with the decisions he's making, but some are taking it as far as saying MSU should part ways with the Hall of Fame coach. However, some on the other end of the spectrum are saying we should be patient with Izzo and trust him since he has more than earned that throughout his career.

So which is it? Has the game passed Izzo by or should we be patient with him?

Two things can be true at the same time

This conversation surrounding Izzo is a little tricky because nobody can deny how great of a coach and ambassador he's been for the program and university throughout his career. But at the end of the day, we all expect to see more wins during the season than we have recently.

But I think the correct way to feel about Izzo is somewhere in the middle of the two extremes mentioned. Should Michigan State look to move on from Izzo? Absolutely not. He has earned the right to stay and be the coach and Michigan State for as long as he wishes. Whether you agree with that or not is up to you, but the reality of the situation is that nobody in charge at the athletic department will ever make the decision to move on from Izzo. He is a Hall of Fame coach who has done countless amazing things for the program and University, you don't just let someone like that go after a remarkable 30-year career.

On the flip side, however, it's OK to be nervous and upset at the state of the program. At the end of the day I'm just going to trust that Izzo figures this out and gets the program back on top of country again because I don't have any other choice. But the part of the fanbase that is blindly following Izzo and upset at fans who question some of his moves likely need to open their eyes a little.

So I think these two sides of the debate can both be true at the same time, just not at the extremes that some of the fanbase take them. Does Izzo have a lot of adjusting to do to get up to speed with the new landscape in college basketball? Absolutely. But at the same time we do need to be patient with him and give him a chance to figure it out, but we don't need to blindly follow and defend every decision he makes.

Here's to hoping he proves us wrong and his roster decisions lead to a lot of wins this season.