Tom Izzo explains his feelings on the transfer portal, defies MSU fans
Michigan’s state basketball coach Tom Izzo explains his frustrations with the transfer portal all year round and asks MSU fans to be different.
East Lansing – It was not a Tom Izzo End of season press conference. He barely mentioned Michigan state basketball Run towards the Elite Eight, an 11th Big Ten title and the final classification n ° 7 with a file of 30-7.
Instead, Izzo used on Wednesday afternoon to offer much more context on “managing the experiences we all live”. A discussion on the state of disunity, if you want, on the Ills that afflict university sports.
The traps and the lack of transparency with a lot of money are paid to athletes. THE Instability of the transfer portal. NCAA’s inability to create railing for anything.
The current problems of university athletics and the future of Izzo in the midst of its current and growing concerns.
“We have created a bad system,” said Izzo. “We can look at you all, you can look at me, you can watch the administrators, you can watch the NCAA. There was a bad system created by adults, and players are forced to navigate, with most public attention focused on negative things.
“It is not specific to the state of Michigan. But that more reflects the problems we have in everything in sport right now. ”
Izzo, 70 years old, used his platform as a coach of the 30-year-old renowned temple with 45 years of experience in the industry to give his overview of the rapid and reckless evolution than him and others try to understand when he changes. He summed up how the situation became with two sentences: “preventive management” and “crisis management”.
“We have not done a very good job, in my mind, as adults, like the people who are supposed to know better. We have not done a very good job and the preparation of this,” he said. “And then now we are dealing with the crisis of this one.”
Izzo stressed a number of other problems revolving around his game and the rest of the university sports landscape, as well as the reason why he did not move away.
Tom Izzo on the reason why he continues to train
“I always have a passion. I always have energy. I always want to make a difference. I always want to help children live their dreams, that I have to live mine. All good reasons. I sold last year to beg the committees, then it strikes you again. I mean, it’s not better, it gets worse.
“I think I sometimes fight to understand who I fight, where I fight, and for what reason I fight. It’s difficult. I jump on everything I can jump, if it helps. But I’m not sure I understand that. So I eliminated some of them, and I just try to stay focused. ”
Adapting to modifications
“I can do something that few people do. Foggy?
“So, what should I do? I call Jonathan (Smith), calls Adam (Nightingale), I call different coaches. I call coaches throughout the country I don’t even know, just to get an idea, just to get information, just to get help.” How are you going to face it? What are you doing better? “When I leave that, I probably hang up.
On the transfer portal, which it says “is open 24/7, 365 days a year” regardless of the rules
“Everyone says,” Well, get this while you can, get this while you can. ” When the players who were 10 to 15 years old left my program, the few I came back, then he had to tell you that wherever they went. Tournament game.
“How are we going to continue to move forward?” It’s adults. We have judges, we have lawyers, we have members of the congress who try to work on this to understand it. We have lost good coaches. I think some good players have made bad decisions, and some players have made phenomenal decisions. If it will become like pro, then let’s not try to improve, get rid of you.
“I hear that fans are crazy that we are not on the portal when I had a national championship to try to (run). I understand that. I understand our fans … a chance to really accomplish something that you only get a few times in your life. You are a seed n ° 2 – It means that we think we are so good or not, we have a legitimate chance.
On falsification in university sports
“I also know – I know, know positively – that people speak to people all year round. If this happens on my staff, people will have left. But it’s not just staff. This is the fact that we have opened it to what we call null agents, who are not certified.
“The problem is, unless you play with people, how do you know who is transferred? Now we can sit here and say:” Well, you are naive. “I am not naive, I am not naive.
On the paid colleges of athletes
“It’s very difficult. It’s new to all of us. And it will seem that I don’t know what I’m talking about. First of all, those of you who write or say people say:” Izzo does not want to enter the transfer portal. Izzo does not want players to be paid. “I mean, we are in the transfer portal, we were in the transfer portal.
“I am not in any case, I am not earning money. Intermediaries and other people involved in their lives.
“The pressure without transparency is outside the graphics. These children are under pressure from the start of the season. The only thing I completely oppose – it does not happen, I do not think of professional sports – is this constant interference with our players throughout the year by anyone. I don’t know, I can’t confuse for players.”
On his problems with social media
“Leave Twitter wars. Stop entering the minds of these families and what they do. It doesn’t help anyone. Spend more time calling NCAA, (conference) Commissioners, our government in Washington, DC, to try to ask our fans to help something that was a bit out of control. To go to war.
“I will try to protect (the players). I hate Twitter, so I don’t think I will get Nile agreements with Twitter. I fourse.
On what he wants his MSU program to be
“Everyone worries about their brand. I mean, it’s a great thing now, “my brand”. That’s all I hear is: “My brand”. Let me tell you something: it is a good brand that has been tested over time.
“If there is a better brand that can help them, if there is a better coach who will spend more time with them, do a better job with them, get more minutes or jump shots or touchdown or other passes.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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