Tom Izzo: Fierce Defense & Killer Instinct Still Reigning

At 70, Tom Izzo is still “running”. The Michigan State coach has been on the Spartans bench for 31 years and can boast of having the greatest current longevity in Division I among boys. In addition to his sporting successes, Izzo is also famous for his very direct and frank style of collaring, with very sharp punchlines. Sometimes they are intended for its own players.

Michigan State guard Kur Teng experienced it this week during his team’s victory against Oregon (68-52). During a timeout filmed by ESPN cameras, Izzo said to him: “Kur, you couldn’t even defend on my mother. My mother!”. Asked by the media about this sequence after the match, the 2000 NCAA champion (with Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves) was even more entertaining in clarifying his thoughts.

Tom Izzo’s mother is 99 and a half years old

“My mother is 99 and a half years old. She doesn’t know how to play basketball but he wouldn’t have been able to defend on her anyway. I was very serious and I hope this will piss him off and he’ll play better when he’s pissed. Some things made me sick to my stomach. We’re all going to fly to East Lansing (the city where the Michigan State campus is located, Editor’s note) and Kur is going to fly to Appleton. Watch USA Today tomorrow and you’ll see him doing one-on-one with my mom in the gym at a nursing home.”

Kur Teng only played 8 minutes in this match, half his season average. When Tom Izzo is not happy, always do it like that, as the other would say. Jokes aside, we would like a retransmission if there is indeed a duel between an almost century-old lady and an NCAA player.