IZZO STAYS A SPARTAN

[DAMN iNATOR]

IZZO STAYS A SPARTAN
Tom Izzo will remain a Spartan.

The coach of the men's basketball team turned down an offer - reportedly worth $5 to $6 million a year - to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are owned by an MSU alum.
MSU Trustee George Perles confirmed the news to 6 News.

The news comes as a huge relief to Spartans across Michigan and around the nation.

In his 15 years as head coach, Izzo has led the team to 13 NCAA tournaments, 6 Final Fours (two in the last two years), and a national championship in 2000. He has been with the school (including time spent as an assistant coach) for 27 years.

He has won the Big Ten several times, has more wins than any coach in MSU history (at 364), and has been named the national Coach of the Year four times.

But his record isn't the only reason Spartan fans are relieved. Izzo is an icon in East Lansing and around the state. He's adored for his work ethic and for being a down-to-earth guy.

And in 2009, Izzo and his team provided a much needed boost to a state suffering from a lousy economy and a high unemployment rate. He took the team to the national championship game, which was played in Detroit.

It's not the first time Izzo has passed on the NBA. He turned down the Atlanta Hawks shortly after winning the national championship.
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Obviously great news for all Spartans hoops fans, not so great for those who would've liked to have seen him in the NBA.

[Juan]

Guess he got tired of waiting for LeBron to tip his hand

[McLegend]

Why would you make the decision now? He'll end up regretting this if Lebron does stay in Cleveland.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Why would you make the decision now? He'll end up regretting this if Lebron does stay in Cleveland.

I dunno. I just know that one of our local news stations in town somehow got word that he had told the Board of Trustees at Michigan State that he was staying.

Honestly, I think if he had any regrets at this point about his decision, that he wouldn't have made up his mind as quickly as he did. I'm sure a huge factor had to be the outpouring of student support with signs and rallies basically stating how much they love Coach Izzo. I'm guessing he would probably rather remain loyal to a team he's been coaching for 15 years. I don't know for sure, but maybe he also talked to LeBron, and heard from him that he was thinking about not staying with Cleveland.

I am very pleased with this decision, however, I realize there are some out there who are not. He may end up with more offers down the road from other NBA teams, or he may not. One thing that can't be disputed is how great of a coach he's been.

[McLegend]

He wins a title in Cleveland he'll be loved, and be $4.5 million richer.

He'll be fine though. Tremendous program.

[RP]

Why would you make the decision now? He'll end up regretting this if Lebron does stay in Cleveland.

Lebron isnt staying in Cleveland. I thought this was pretty obvious when he threw the Boston series

[Emperor Smeat]

Why would you make the decision now? He'll end up regretting this if Lebron does stay in Cleveland.

He couldn't wait too long due to commitments from recruits and other stuff that would have affected the next few years at Michigan State had he decided to stay. If those recruits think he was leaving, then they would withdraw and go to a different college while he was taking his time to make a decision.

Similar situation happened with Donnovan at Florida where he went to Orlando but then quit after a few days since he realized he would be better off in college and needed to keep the recruits he signed.