A Tom Izzo interview worth reading

We're going pretty far afield here but a few parts in a Tom Izzo interview conducted by Steve Greenberg seemed justifiably worthy of highlighting. It's not about X's and O's but rather relationships and getting his players to reach their potential and goals. We found it fascinating.

SN: A theory: Your teams often peak late because you push harder and longer with players and teams than many coaches do. You get mad at them—and they at you—but you don’t give up on them. You seem to thrive on continuing to push. Agree?

TI: I do. And I can see where people see the (negative) side because I’m never really happy. The truth of it is I’ve always looked at it like I have a job to do. I have people who come here thinking they’re NBA players. I have expectations that we’re going to graduate our guys. Those two things are very hard to do—and then win championships. Those are three very hard things, and there’s going to be roadkill along the way; it’s not going to be roses. I just ask guys what they want to do, but once they tell me what they want to do, then I look at it like it’s my obligation to hold them to that goal—not to my goals but to their goals. What I don’t think people get to see about me is the time I spend with a player. If you ask me what is my strongest suit, that’s what it is. I think it’s my responsibility to a player to push him harder than he probably thinks he can be pushed … (but) I don’t give up on people. Morris Peterson is the biggest reason. He was my hardest one to get through to. He taught me probably as much as anybody I coached because it was a struggle early and we got along like cat and mouse. It was early in my career, my first year, and he pushed me to the hilt. But it worked out. And now he calls me when we lose. He comes back (to visit). Every Mother’s Day, he calls my wife. That is what I coach for. That blows the championships away.

and

SN: Has Kalin Lucas—your most decorated current player—been especially challenging to coach? 

TI: Kalin is really a competitive kid; he’s tough. He’s got to continue to work on his people skills and leadership skills (to) get where he wants to go. The kid wants to be a pro, and he’s (6-1). Go count how many there are of them. You’d better be pretty special. You’d better be more than just (2008-09) player of the year in the Big Ten. You have to continue to be a better teammate, be a better leader, because he’s quiet. Some people will say, “That’s just his personality.” I get a kick out of those people. When a parent sends a kid to college, they want you to make him a better person, make him a better student. If he’s not a very good dribbler, make him a better dribbler. If he’s not strong enough, change his body. If his jump shot is broke, fix his jump shot. But if his personality is broke, leave it alone? That doesn’t make any sense to me. Don’t tell me you want to be a pro—don’t tell me you want to lead a team to a national championship—if your personality is going to stay the same. Just go back and look at the personalities that have won championships. Shane Battier. (Juan) Dixon from Maryland. Cleaves. Khalid El-Amin. Recently, you look at (Duke’s Jon) Scheyer, constantly talking, grabbing people. I went and watched the Wizards practice. John Wall was unbelievable, and I don’t say one word about his play. That guy, on the first day of practice, was calling out positions—where centers were supposed to go on a play, where forwards were going—as he’s coming down the court. Unbelievable people skills. Not afraid to hear his own voice. Knowledge of the game. (Those are) things Kalin has to improve on.

and

SN: How have young people changed from 1983 to 1995 to 2010? 

TI: Everybody talks about the kids changing. I say the grown-ups have changed. We either tolerate more or we put them in (bad) positions. We wonder why they don’t communicate as well, but we put them behind the computer (and) tell them they can put anything on there and nobody has to know who it came from, or we can text them and nobody has to know where it came from. We don’t hold them accountable, and yet we wonder why they’re not as accountable. The world gets a little more fat and sassy, and everybody wants more for their kids than they had, including me. But if I had to pick one word that I don’t think kids do as well now as they did going back in years, it’s the word respect. And the second would be accountability. But what have we taught? I have found that, for the most part, the kids will do their part if you’re willing to spend the time and you convince a guy why he has to do something—and sometimes you’re changing 18 years. But, for the most part, kids want to do the right thing. It’s just that sometimes we’re not showing them the right way.