Izzo's New Excuse
Can't blame the injuries anymore, so he turns to the refs. We're only 30 games in to the new rules now. You'd think his team was playing with a completely different, more harsh rules than every other team is by listening to his interview. Time to adjust, Tommy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntOYgopoqqk&feature=youtu.be
(Again, can't embed, if anyone else could for the board that'd be great.)
This is getting comical.
Such a huge difference from how Beilein handles things. Makes me appreciate him all the more.
What a petulant childish little man. He is the perfect coach for MSU. It was worth all of the down years at Michigan building this guy up to watch him squirm during his fall.
March 10th, 2014 at 10:09 AM ^
Izzo is 23-8, 12-6, 3rd seed in the BTT, probably around a 4 seed in the NCAA (as I recall it's very possible to get to the Final Four from there) and by most standards having a pretty good season (except for that whole can't-beat-your-rival thing.) And he's been throwing a hissy fit all season. What's going to happen next year when his team struggles to break .500 in the Big Ten? It's going to be classic.
March 10th, 2014 at 12:03 PM ^
I too would like to see state struggle, as I have never liked how Izzo handles himself or his players. If we lose All three of or a combo of Stauskas, GRIII & McGary how do we look for next year? Injuries and in this case NBA circumstance could leave us vulnerable to a similar record. IMO I do not see us being dominant without atleast two of those players coming back.
Go Blue
March 10th, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^
Legitimate concern, but note that we're talking about if those guys go to the League, whereas MSU is guaranteed to lose two of three and very likely to lose the third, like, to the tune of a 5% chance he stays. I do not see McGary leaving and would call Stauskas and GR3 50/50 cases.
Absolutely wise to take note that my reply was 'If' they leave. My thought, moreso was thinking I would feel more confident when we get the info on who is staying and who is leaving. Therefore, I would enjoy state's demise to a greater degree because there would be less likely of a chance I (you/we Michigan fans) would have to eat crow. I realize you do not need me to protect your crow eating chances. I was making a point it would be so much more gratifiying to be level headed right now and have our guys come back and watch what unfolds in East Lansing.
How are you doing as a fan going into this year's bracket with your two fav teams primed for success?
Go Blue!
How are you doing as a fan going into this year's bracket with your two fav teams primed for success?
On cloud fucking nine. Can't even describe it. Two regular season banners - both won on the same day, by the way - is incredible. It's like a little payback for having to sit through almost a decade and a half of rotten Thanksgiving Saturdays. I'm really caring less about the number of the seed we get and more rooting for both teams to simply have the same seed - 2 or 3, don't care - which would mean that they can't meet until we're already at the point where I wouldn't even care who wins.
If the ultimate were to happen and U-M and UVA were to somehow meet in the championship game I will sit there with a huge shit-eating grin on my face and a beer in both hands and take a drink for every basket. One hand for U-M, one hand for UVA.
That would be so weird. I can't even imagine it, seriously, I'm trying and just can't fathom that.
It already is weird. For instance, now I have to fill out three brackets instead of just the standard actual bracket and homer bracket. I'm thinking that in the MGoBlog bracket challenge I'll use my UVA homer bracket and vice versa. Good problem to have, though.
I smile for your good problem to have sir! Congrats to you and ride that good feeling til its gone, then hop on the next wave!
Go Blue!
Coaches never sound good when they're underpeforming expectations. Hoke's "we've got to coach better" line sounds noble when we're 11-2 but grates when we're 7-6. It's easy to say "I've got to coach better" when you're pleasing the fanbase. It's harder to say it when it's abundently true and the fanbase is riled.
I respect Hoke a lot for continuing to put the blame for shortcomings squarely on himself even when the pressure mounts. Borges couldn't resist the sirens this season and dipped into this "execution" comments.
Izzo is taking it to a whole nother level. No subtlety at all. Shameful stuff from a college coach. From a grownup, really.
To some degree, if you lose a bad game, it really doesn't matter what you say, it's going to be perceived as some variety of bad, cause everyone (me) is angry. Hoke does an amazing job of putting it as completely on himself as possible while still saying something other than "I have to coach better", cause again, any remark about anything can be taken as blaming the player/coach involved.
Rob
actually just lost a freaking game. Gallant he is not.
Can't tell if you're British or Yoda
March 10th, 2014 at 12:05 AM ^
What is interesting to me in this interview is just how haggard and spent he sounds, almost as if he knows exactly what he has to say to get through that interview but has a fair number of things he might like to say but can't. He looked like he was almost ready to lash out a little bit at points. I could be wrong, but he looked like a coach that was deeply unhappy with a great number of things, as he likely should be.
There's speculation that other "something" is related to the fact sexual misconduct reviews from years past are being given new life. The two Sparty players involved are still on the team.
March 10th, 2014 at 11:07 AM ^
All I can say is 2014.
(Yes I realize we are being investigated for a similar thing, yet our laundry has already be aired)
for the first time (I have seen Izzo complain on a number of occassions, I did not think this video was going to be meaningfully different than the others) but I don't think "spent" takes it far enough. For "Coach Izzo" I say nothing more than na-na-boo-boo, but for Izzo the man, that video is somewhat worrisome to me. He looks as though he just woke up from 8 hours of sleep after a 7 day Vegas binge, and he is kind of almost involuntarily rocking when he speaks. His eyes really never lock on anything either, he is almost having a flight of ideas without much insight or context. It may be time for Tom to get some sleep and have the assistants take over for a couple days. He does not look like a well man.
March 10th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^
I don't think he looks good and I wonder if his team isn't being affected by it. He talks about Valentine like he's an All-American and to me he played terrible when he was in there. i didn't see the whole game, but late in the game he did not look good. I have to wonder how much longer he will coach because if Harris goes to the NBA which is probably likely, he does not have a lot of talent left.
I hope he will relax more next year when expectations are lower but I don't see it happening. He does not look good. I don't begrudge him excuses to take the pressure off the players if that's what he is doing. I think this year is taking a heavy toll on him.
I know there was a comment about the sexual assault allegations and maybe he is worried about how that will play out.
I just watched this, and for all of his bitching about Dawson being on the bench the whole game because of officiating, the guy finished with just three fouls.
Nice coaching job, Tom, and way to provide your team with a good model for holding themselves accountable. The MSU players and MSU fans take after the MSU coach and they're all completely unbearable.
The score was 67-65 with 4:31 left; MSU had 3 turnovers and scored 0 points to finish the game. I don't want to hear anything about officiating from Tom Izzo.
March 10th, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^
along with Staee's struggles has been fantastic. 2014.
I think Izzo is really starting to lose it... at the 3:45 mark, a reporter asks him, "how do you coach your team through that?" ("foul trouble.")
Izzo: ... Adreian is so tired, our guys couldn't guard... Anyone who can guard is on the bench...
He couldn't answer the question... It sounds to me, Coach, like you didn't prepare your team for this game, and when your team face adversity, you didn't know how to handle it. Your second-team guys have been playing a lot this season with all of your injuries. They should be game-ready. That's your fault, Blizzo.
He threw Denzel, Dawson, Valentine and Payne under the bus several times... "couldn't shoot... tired..." Why anyone would want to play for this douche canoe is beyond me.
Misrepresenting Izzo's comments the way you are makes me so mad I want to just pound the tab...OUCH!
Izzo complains, makes excuses, sky is blue, sun rises in the east.
Death. Taxes.
I think we all get where I'm going here.
In fairness, he's still blaming the injuries, too. From Rexrode:
Tom Izzo says Harris "sprained his ankle a little."
the weird guys get injured, too. it's just that they don't get "normal" injuries. Instead, they get weird injuries, like sprained earlobes and broken toenails and scratched molars and lacerated scrotums and cracked hair folacles and...
March 10th, 2014 at 12:51 AM ^
sounds pretty terrible, though.
Can't remember who came up with that one, but cheers.
I agree, but that doesn't excuse Izzo acting like a baby about it.
Sorry, weird double-post. My first ever, I think. You're welcome, America.
This place is ridiculous. Over half the threads twist a topic to bring him up and another quarter are simply about him. This is one of those jokes that has gone over the top and long outstayed its welcome, but I guess that's what internet message boards are all about.
Thank you. I logged in to say he same thing.
That we all could listen to MSU fans parrot it, him repeat it a million times, and simply laugh at it. And we've beat all the subtly out of it. It's turned it into a Dane Cook version of shadenfreude.
It's not that he isn't being a whiner, and complaining about everything. I wouldn't want my coach complaining about everything after every lose either, and I'm glad Coach B doesn't. That doesn't mean we need back-to-back threads about Izzo, and to bring him up at random so someone can make the same joke that's been made a thousand other times already.
This isn't below the belt. Tom Izzo is an adult, not a player, and 100% responsible for what he does during games and during pressers. I don't blame any of our fans for ridiculing him every single time fhe acts total lunatic, which is--by the year--occuring with more frequency and more awesomeness. He's coming unhinged. It's awesome. Relax.
spartan Schadenfreude feels great!
and it never gets old... ever...
jdon
old man Crean for 24 hours, it was only natural to move on to Tom McWhineypants. Don't get your knickers in a twist.
Izzo deserves every bit of ridicule he gets here. He needs to learn how to behave, and teach his team the same, which will never happen. A molder of men he is not. This is what I imagine Beilein would say to him...
We might be witnessing the disintegration of our biggest basketball rival, which had beaten up on us for about a decade. Best of all, it looks like we've played a big part in that potential disintegration,* and it's fun watching their asshole coach get exposed a bit. Let people have fun with this.
*If I counted correctly, MSU was 18-1 when Michigan arrived in East Lansing this year. They're 5-7 since then. The schedule got tougher and whatever, but I think Beilein and company have more than a little something to do with this.
I know, and I said "might be" and "potential" for a reason. Even if MSU somehow gets it together for the tournament - and it's getting harder and harder to see that happening - they have serious, serious roster questions beginning next year. There's no doubt that we're on the desirable side of that rivalry right now.
Izzo Threads...
