Deciding to leave Tom Izzo hasn’t worked out well for a lot of players in the past. Many players have transferred out of his program over the years, but most have grown to regret it.
Leaving Izzo and Michigan State for more money or a promised opportunity elsewhere has backfired as recently as last offseason when Tre Holloman decided to depart just before his senior season for Will Wade and NC State. That decision proved to be a huge mistake as Holloman held the same role he had at Michigan State and he probably would have played far more in East Lansing.
Ultimately, Izzo hinted at a “former player” texting him to tell him that they regretted their decision. I think everyone knows that was Holloman.
Several former players who opted to transfer out have likely regretted their decisions and it seldom works out for both sides. Often, it backfires for the transfer. Last season, it hurt both as Holloman didn’t have the season he was expecting at NC State and Michigan State had a pretty large hole at the shooting guard spot. Jordan Scott eventually took it over, but he was even rushed into it.
Divine Ugochukwu became the latest Spartan to hit the transfer portal, and he waited until the very last second, according to Izzo on The Drive with Jack Ebling.
Izzo said he supposed Divine’s decision “100 percent” and even pleaded with fans to ease up on these student-athletes when they transfer because it’s usually not all on them. He alluded to Ugochukwu being pressured into leaving and used a fairly harsh quote for people who get into these kids’ ears and try to pry kids away from programs.
"(There’s) a lot of people in these kids’ heads right now. I call ‘em distractions and dirtbags. There’s a lot of both. These kids, they’ve got so many people talking to them and talking to their families. There’s so much tampering and stuff that goes on. It’s so difficult to be a student athlete right now."Tom Izzo on Divine Ugochukwu
It’s really tough to argue with the Hall of Famer because he’s right. These kids are being fed unfortunate advice that gears them more toward a quick paycheck than long-term success.
Obviously fans will be rooting for Ugochukwu. This was apparently a really tough decision.
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