For the fifth time as head coach of Michigan State basketball, Tom Izzo has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year, beating out Dusty May, Greg Gard, and Kevin Willard.
I wouldn't have been mad with any of the other guys winning the award because May turned Michigan around in one year, Gard led a Big Ten contender after losing a ton from last year's squad, and Willard turned Maryland around, too, leading the Terps to conference title contention.
Izzo, though, had the best season of them all and maybe one of his best ever.
After getting bounced in the 2024 NCAA Tournament's second round by North Carolina, he vowed to get back to deep March runs "or die trying". That was a quote that resonated with the fanbase but it was also controversial because he had been hesitant to change or utilize the portal like the rest of his Big Ten coaching colleagues.
Izzo hit the portal, landed Frankie Fidler and Szymon Zapala, but he lost his top scorers, and four starters total, from last year's team that began the season in the top five and then disappointingly got bounced in the first weekend. This season was supposed to be a "rebuilding" year, of sorts.
Not only did Izzo turn things around 180 degrees, but the Spartans went from disappointing finishes over the past four years to winning the Big Ten by three whole games with a young roster.
The accomplishments he's had this year are staggering: Big Ten title, 26 regular-season wins, 17 conference wins, a three-game lead in the final standings, a 1-seed in the Big Ten Tournament and a double-bye, a likely 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a top-eight finish in the AP Top 25 in the final regular-season poll. Oh, and he broke Bobby Knight's all-time Big Ten wins record and tied the conference's regular-season title record.
To say this was a deserved award would be an understatement. Now let's get that national coach of the year award and another title.