MSU’s Tom Izzo sees value in the success of “almost” every team in the state

On By Yukito

The Michigan men’s basketball coach has had one of the most successful teams in the state of Michigan over the last quarter-century.

Although he only has one ring to his name, his 26 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and eight Final Four trips speak volumes about what he has built during his time at the helm.

A Michigan sports icon, Izzo supports other teams across the state, whether it’s the Detroit Pitsons, Lions or Tigers. His support for the Tigers has been particularly evident in recent weeks, as he praised their playoff run by leading his team to Game 3 of the ALDS.

“Pistons, I always pull (for them). (I’ve been) a Packer fan my whole life, but it’s hard not to pull for the Lions,” Izzo said Tuesday. “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So I became a Pistons fan. I want them to win. I believe that everyone in our state who wins helps our state – mmm, almost everyone – but they help our state And when the state gets better, we will all be better.”

As mentioned earlier, Izzo took his team to Comerica Park on Wednesday, where the Tigers won against the Cleveland Guardians.

“I’m not forcing them to do it, and if it’s illegal, I don’t care what it’s like?” Izzo joked. “But it’s our day off and we always try to find things. One of my theories in life is: I’m not a huge baseball fan… but playoffs are playoffs. And learning how to win, learning how to be around people and see the atmosphere.

Izzo traveled to a completely different part of the state on Saturday than his team is used to, though not for him.

The Spartans are in Marquette, Michigan, where they will face Izzo’s alma mater Northern Michigan on Sunday.

“I can’t wait to get my team there,” Izzo said. “I’m excited to see people. I’m looking forward to being able to do something for Northern, I’m looking forward to my boys because I think they’ll have a better idea – I’ve always gone to Flint. I always went to Detroit. I always went to Saginaw. I can see where these guys were from. They never went where I come from. And now they will get a chance and maybe it will help them understand me a little better. I’m excited about it, but I’m really excited about a lot of people coming from here. I think Friday and Saturday night I’ll go there for two days and we just decided that, like I said, we’re going to make it a little bit historic because we’re going to take them to places that maybe they’ve never been or could never be.

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