While the suit movement for Tom Izzo on Twitter is reaching its peak, it’s clear his wardrobe isn’t the problem, but rather his staff.
COVID-19 changed a lot of things. The “new normal” has now become the routine and mundane. People measure time based on how long it has been since COVID. Supporters of Michigan State Basketball have decided to measure something else born out of the COVID pandemic: Tom Izzo and his wardrobe.
The stark divide in the success of MSU Basketball pre vs. post suit era Tom Izzo has reached its peak interest this early spring. The Spartans now are in a precarious position on the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing two “uh, yeah, don’t lose” games at home to Iowa and an interim-led Ohio State team, jeopardizing the second-longest active streak in Division 1 basketball. With the calendar turning to “Izzo” this Friday, its not a dispute to say MSU only has four guaranteed games left on their schedule, a far cry from where expectations were during media days.
This is an easy fix, right? Just pick up old reliable from the cleaners and we are back in business, right? Even I myself had the thought during this season.
Tom’s suit isn’t a superhero cape – he doesn’t become a better coach with it on. His suit is a symbol of the past, a relic of nostalgia, a custom-tailored outfit of happier times. There was no questioning Tom’s ability to get his teams to win championships when he was in the suit, it was the expectation. We all expected Tom to get his teams ready at this point in the year. We knew who our Dawgs were by now. None of us were painstakingly looking at the “Last Four In, First Four Out” projections from Joe Lunardi, not with suit Tom.
The post-COVID backslide was not caused by Izzo’s decision-making in front of his closet, it was caused by who he chose to fill the offices next to his.
Following the First Four exit to UCLA in early 2021, Dane Fife opted to part ways with Izzo and go back to alma mater to assist Mike Woodson at Indiana. Doug Wojcik, then recruiting coordinator, was internally promoted to fill Fife’s role. More significantly, in October of 2021, MSU announced that Mike Garland was stepping into an off-court advisory role, in efforts to spend more time with his family. Garland’s son had recently undergone a heart surgery in March 2020. Mark Montgomery, Wojcik’s replacement as recruiting coordinator, was now thrust into the third assistant role. Mike “OG” Garland retired from his off court role the following offseason in June 2022.
Tom had a lot to say in his statement regarding OG’s retirement:
It’s incredibly clear that OG meant a lot to not only the program, but to Tom Izzo as well. Garland was on staff for seven Final Fours, the 2000 National Championship, and all 10 Big Ten championships. At the time of his retirement, Garland was quoted with the following:
“I always thought that Chief (Tom) and I would share the day of our departure together.”
In a way, Tom did depart that day. At least in terms of what we as fans thought he was. Assistant coaches do a lot of work that the general public knows nothing about. In college basketball especially, it’s the one walking the court landing all of the acclaim. Izzo’s staff was a rarity in this regard as the combination of Dwayne Stephens, Fife, and Garland had been mainstays in the program it hard not to know who they were. That working group was responsible for so much program success, that was built and sustained, not a flash in the pan. In June 2022, Tom 100 percent had lost that person he knew he could go to get advice from, and likely more importantly — someone who would be willing to disagree with him.
So I will admit this is where I go off spouting an armchair opinion that is based on my interpretations and thoughts with little to no “real” information to back it up but hear me out. You aren’t a true friend of Izzo’s since his college days if you’re a yes-man. You’re not nicknamed “OG” by agreeing with everyone either. Michigan State founded it principles as a program of not always landing the highest-touted guy, but landing “their guy”. The OKGs of the past have given the program the expectations that its players and coaching staff are failing to live up to today. That’s the game if you want to leave a legacy, you have to answer the bell at every moment, or risk falling into apathy and irrelevancy.
Are Wojcik and Montgomery OKGs? Are they Dawgs? Tom Izzo calls for a player-led team, but are either of those guys taking charge at any point in the staff? Are they willing to even say Izzo is wrong?
Ultimately, the decision to bring in these guys falls on Izzo’s feet, but he is always someone that will bet on his guys 100 out of 100 times. If you know that going in, its your job to prove his bet was right. Izzo only has so many hands left to play before he cashes out, so its incredibly frustrating to see potential wasted and simple decisions be botched like they have been in recent years.
The vibes have been horrendous these past two seasons. You can see it on the court. The past two MSU basketball teams have featured some of the most mind-numbingly inconsistent levels of play I have seen in my entire life. It has become a stale product. Half the fanbase could likely give you a post-game presser verbatim for a game that has not even happened yet. The point has been reached that there is such little faith in this current staff and team figuring it out that the only path to success is a wardrobe change. I can lament for another 1,000 words on and on about what this program currently is but I can tell you one thing that it isn’t –
A Tom Izzo Michigan State team.
A suit won’t fix that, a suit won’t fix Tom either.
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