The Man from Iron Mountain

by Vasherized on Mar 29, 2010 2:24 PM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Basketball

Six Final Fours in 12 years. One National Championship. Six Big 10 titles. Four national Coach of the Year awards.

"Dickie V! It’s Tom Izzo’s world – you’re just living in it, baby!!!"

I guess we all are.

Think about it: How would you feel if your team reached the Final Four at least every other year? Duke’s last trip was when they lost in the semis to UCONN in 2004. DUKE. As required by some legal statute with the NCAA, UCLA made three trips from 2006-2008 and haven't sniffed relevance since.

Ask recent NIT invites Roy Williams or Jim Calhoun if this is an easy task. Or Bill Self. Billy Donovan. Rick Barnes’ lone trip in 2003 doesn’t even seem replicable.

Yet for Izzo, it’s nearly automatic.

And that’s the difference between Tom Izzo and every other coach in basketball. He extracts max effort and execution out of his guys when it matters -- not in December or even February -- regardless of roster flux from graduation, early defections, and injuries.

It always comes together in March.

I get the feeling we've been here before ...

So does every person born in Iron Mountain, Michigan exceed life expectations like this? Apparently not. Steve Mariucci also lived there. Izzo is truly one of a kind.

Coaching is hard. So how does he do it?

We have a home-cooked theory that is light on research and heavy on Protestant instinct and Midwestern values:

1. Recruit tough inner city kids from Flint, Detroit, and Chicago. You know they'll play defense. Scoring, offensive sets, free throws, etc? All that can be taught later. And they WILL learn it.

2. Go after the elite kids whose parents attempted to combine their two first names to form a special new one: Draymond, Raymar, Durrell, Delvon, Kalin. Complement with glue guys to round out roster like Mike, Austin, Jon, Chris, Tom, Mike, and Anthony. But know who butters your bread.

3. If available for delivery via trans-ocean courier, complement these junkyard dogs with a large Balkan post. Or human. Either works as long as it takes up space and cleans glass. The latest model was Sutan, G. and could not be replaced in time for this season. If #3 is not available -- a heady, undersized, overachieving guard with Aryan roots must be on the roster. Neitzel, D. or Kebler, M.

4. Use mid-season slump to lull future opponents into false sense of confidence when scouting in March for potential weaknesses. Izzo plans these losses and then chastises his players for to the media for not buying into the system. Again, perfectly scripted. All on the same page.

5. Round into form towards end of conference play, make reasonably strong showing in conference tourney to earn competitive seed in 2-5 range.

6. Win every game that matters in March by 1-4 points. As if you weren't entirely in control of your opponent's fate!

7. Cut down regional nets and fly to city that hosts Final Four every other year.

8. When they ask, "How do you do it, Tom!?" Smile. And give the kids all the credit.

Or maybe the guy is just really freakin lucky?

Izzo’s latest accomplishment might be his most impressive. After losing do-it-all PG Kalin Lucas to yet another injury, Izzo plugs in off guard Korie Lucious, who nailed the buzzerbeater to oust a hot Maryland squad in the second round. Lucious had never played PG in his career until spelling an injured Lucas earlier in the season and the results were dismal. Of course they were. It wasn't March. This is when Izzo’s team’s shine. Hey Lucious -- you’re the guy now. Play like it.

Forget about the five turnovers. Tennessee’s tenacious press D gets that out of most point guards. Lucious also had four assists, five steals, and eight points. He struggled controlling tempo but always kept Morgan, Summers, and Green in the game – the guys that had to be if Michigan State had any chance to win against Tennessee’s imposing headband lineup. Morgan only scored 13 but went 5/6 from the line, nailing them when they counted. Summers has exploded in the tournament, going off for 21 points against the Vols after posting 26 against the Terps.

This is the same Michigan State team that lost to Texas (TEXAS!) by double digits back in December and then dropped three in a row in Big 10 play to Wisconsin, Illinois, and Purdue. Then the loss to an upstart Minnesota team – IN MARCH, TOM, COME ON! – had everybody wondering if the magic would happen yet again. Like you wouldn't want an Izzo. Ha! Four tournament wins later, with an average margin of victory of only four points, look who is back in the Final Four.

Assuming Mateen Cleaves is released from his latest DUI charge by Saturday, he’ll be watching.

----------
Get more Sparty Flava Flav with our Lead Izzo-ite Adam Biggers at Sparty On!

Tweet Comment 29 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

1. Terrific tape break down team, which explains why Izzo & company excel in the second game of the weekend with just a day off.

2. Defense and rebounding. Unless you have a true NBA-caliber team (like Roy Williams did last year), defense and rebounding, toughness and heart will carry the day so long as the talent differential isn’t too big. Note that in every regional final this year, the team that was tougher on defense and rebounding beat the more athletic & taller team.
Butler > KSU
MSU > Tennessee
Duke > Baylor
WVa > Kentucky

That’s four out of four times where defense and toughness beat out athleticism and height.

by Richard on Mar 29, 2010 2:37 PM CDT reply actions

Eddie Reese has won a NC in 4 different decades. And we now have a football program and a baseball program at Texas that our Men’s Swimming team can be proud of.

AUSTIN, Texas — The UT Tower will be drenched in burnt orange lighting with the number “1” lit on each side Tuesday evening, March 30 in recognition of the University of Texas men’s swimming and diving team’s victory at the NCAA Championships.

Per UT tradition, the campus landmark is bathed in burnt orange lighting from top to bottom with the number “1” lit on all four sides when a University of Texas athletics team wins a NCAA team championship. The Texas women’s indoor track and field team most recently lit the UT Tower in that fashion in 2006.

The Longhorns captured their 10th NCAA team crown under 32nd-year head coach Eddie Reese on Sunday, March 28 in Columbus, Ohio. Texas utilized nine top-eight finishes on the final to power past California en route to the title. UT totaled 500 points and finished 30.5 points ahead of second-place California after trailing the Golden Bears by 18.5 points through day two of the three-day meet.

Texas claimed one individual title and one relay crown at the NCAA Championships. Freshman Austin Surhoff became the second Longhorn to win the 200-yard individual medley, and the UT quartet of junior Scott Jostes, senior Dave Walters, sophomore Neil Caskey and senior Ricky Berens secured Texas’ second straight NCAA title in the 800-yard freestyle relay.

by beowulf on Mar 29, 2010 2:42 PM CDT reply actions

9. Via the general population’s unwillingness to ascribe any marginally improbable amount of success to chance alone, reap the rewards of a sequence of fortunate events.

by pleaseplaykindle on Mar 29, 2010 2:54 PM CDT reply actions

Top 3 HCs in his prime going today. He’s just outstanding. Hire em’! Yea, right.

by Patrick Bateman on Mar 29, 2010 2:56 PM CDT reply actions

I see what you did there, beowulf.

by Vasherized on Mar 29, 2010 3:05 PM CDT reply actions

Big fan of the Izzo. He was my #1 (pipedream choice) for the Kentucky job both times it opened up.

What’s amazing is that he does it without NBA caliber players. Besides the absolutely stacked 2000 championship team (Cleaves, Mo Pete, Chaz Bell, J Rich), his only other solid NBAer was Zach Randolph. Other “notables” include Alan Anderson, Paul Davis, Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown…not exactly a murderer’s row there.

The same thing applies to this year’s lineup…I mean, maybe Kalin Lucas? Durrell Summers? Not exactly brimming with lottery potential.

by jc25 on Mar 29, 2010 3:12 PM CDT reply actions

Who would have thought it would be Michigan State and Butler in the Final Four playing against each other. Many people would have put Kansas, K-State, Syracuse, Georgetown, Ohio State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt etc. before these teams. Michigan State was a top-dog before the season started and dropped as the season went on, but the fact they are doing all of this without Kalin Lucas is one of the most impressive parts about it. Heck, Tennessee was a shot away from making it as a 6th seed… man I love the NCAA

If you want an in depth write up, preview and predictions for Michigan State vs. Butler go to: http://www.lionsdenu.com/march-madness-2010-final-four-vs-butler/ and weigh in on the action.. also vote who you think will move on to the national championship

Butler is SO hot winning 24 straight games.. the last time they lost was back on December 22nd 2009… before X-mas!!! Insane! And the fact they are playing five miles away from their campus is going to be nuts .. talk about home-court advantage!!

by Tim Alvine on Mar 29, 2010 3:14 PM CDT reply actions

He doesn’t believe in leaving the state you were born in, even if by bad luck its Michigan. I have to give major props to that! Just amazing! And to do it in Detroit for a pay cut no less

by Mysterious Package on Mar 29, 2010 3:25 PM CDT reply actions

Vasherized. I have no idea what I did there. I’m glad you do.

by beowulf on Mar 29, 2010 3:27 PM CDT reply actions

Vasherized. I have no idea what I did there. I’m glad you do.

That is your genius. Or retardation, depending on how you look at it.

by Vasherized on Mar 29, 2010 3:34 PM CDT reply actions

Small note, but Duke didn’t win the title in 2004. They lost in the smis to UCONN. They haven’t won since 2000, I believe.

by Hiphopopotamus on Mar 29, 2010 4:13 PM CDT reply actions

If Garrison Hearst doesn’t break his ankle against the Dirty Birds, Mariucci probably gets to a Super Bowl.

Is Izzo done siring children? I think Raymar would be pretty clutch as a middle name.

by magnusbleuveigner on Mar 29, 2010 4:14 PM CDT reply actions

Correct, they just made the final four that year. Thanks hip.

by Vasherized on Mar 29, 2010 4:14 PM CDT reply actions

Hiphop, was that the year Duhon hit a 50 footer at the last second to kill the cover? That was awesome. We were at the prototypical bachelor party and just about all my friends had money on UCONN. I laughed heartily.

by magnusbleuveigner on Mar 29, 2010 4:17 PM CDT reply actions

Down four with 13 seconds left, Duhon banked in a long three as time expired to lose by one point.

by Vasherized on Mar 29, 2010 4:22 PM CDT reply actions

Duke last won the toga in 2001 over Arizona, when the refs swallowed their whistles when Jay Williams landed on an Arizona player’s back… think it was Jason Gardner, but no matter. Would have been his third foul in the first half.

Izzo always has been first on my call list if UT had an opening. You have to ask.

by Bob in Houston on Mar 29, 2010 5:25 PM CDT reply actions

Oregon just dropped a pretty big offer to him. Seems like a lateral move, at best.

by Steve Nebraska on Mar 29, 2010 6:29 PM CDT reply actions

Always pick em to be there…favorite coach by far…his early camps are legendary…no one touches the ball unless you get a rebound which is thrown up by him…needless to say very physical.

by derryl on Mar 29, 2010 7:24 PM CDT reply actions

Great coach, tremendous program builder, fantastic teacher.

But it’s not as if Detroit and Flint are recruiting wastelands. MSU is always one of the most athletic teams in the country. I think Izzo is a perfect fit at MSU, and I think he’s smart enough to stay there.

by dave on Mar 29, 2010 10:36 PM CDT reply actions

Whatever. Izzo grinds out a another Final Four berth, but so what. How many ’ships does he have to show for all these births? One. Roy Williams, Billy Donovan, Jim Boeheim, Bill Self all have one or more than him.

I hate the way his teams play and the way he over coaches. He has to call a timeout every 5 seconds. Typical Big Eleven slug ball. Whatever, Butler or WVU/Duke will blow them out.

by PrimeTime on Mar 30, 2010 12:46 AM CDT reply actions

PT: “So what?”

You don’t have to like Izzo, but that’s a ridiculous cut.

by Bob in Houston on Mar 30, 2010 8:45 AM CDT reply actions

Sounds personal. And highly irrational.

I don’t see any blowout matchups in this Final Four either.

by Vasherized on Mar 30, 2010 10:06 AM CDT reply actions

PrimeTime said:

March 29th, 2010 at 10:46 pm

MSU plays tough with an emphasis on team work, defense, passing etc. Better than watching Barnes, who recruits studs, yells at them but forgets to actually give them a real game plan and then sits on the bench doing nothing. I would much rather watch a team playing with purpose than the Texas “random screening” BS offense, better known as the “motionless offense” Of course there is also the “helpless man-man defense”

Do you think that blocking out stuff is boring, like the 5/4 star studs for Texas who do not like to waste there time with such trivial fundamentals

by UTBX on Mar 30, 2010 1:29 PM CDT reply actions

What I like about Izzo is that his best teams can play any pace. I don’t see them as a Big 10 grind out team at all.

Having a perceptible plan of offense is also kind of neat.

by Scipio Tex on Mar 30, 2010 1:46 PM CDT reply actions