When Divine Ugochukwu went down with a season-ending injury, it came right after Tom Izzo made the decision to go with Jordan Scott as his starting shooting guard, so he knew that depth was going to take a hit, but there wouldn’t be much of a drop-off at the position.
Scott had been proving himself as the best two-guard option on the team, and Izzo trusted the true freshman in his starting lineup to finish the season.
That’s not something he thought would’ve happened at this point in the season when he brought Scott in with his 2025 class. He knew Scott and Cam Ward were good, but he’s admitted a few times now that he had no idea they’d be this good this early on.
Izzo reiterated that during his weekly press conference on Wednesday afternoon, previewing the Wisconsin game.
Tom Izzo continues to gush over Jordan Scott
The Hall of Fame coach was asked if this was where he thought Scott would be right now, and Izzo’s response was priceless: “H*ll no.”
Izzo laughed it off and went on to heap praise onto his freshman wing.
”(Scott) has exceeded some of my expectations, especially in the areas that most freshman struggle,” Izzo said. “I don’t think anything bothers him. It’s kind of nice. I get a lot more nervous than he does…
… He’s gonna be a fun kid to coach.”
Izzo beams about Scott whenever he’s asked about his freshman wing, and he went on to say that sometimes guys who are unbothered by everything are laid back, but Scott has a sense of urgency and intensity to his game that he loves.
Basically, Izzo is saying that Scott is an OKG (our kind of guy).
Anyone who has tuned into a Michigan State basketball game this season, especially over the past few weeks, knows just how important Scott’s energy is to this team. The Spartans feed off his energy, and he’s always making the right plays. Rarely does he make mistakes and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Hopefully we get to enjoy him for 2-3 more years. He’s going to be really good.