Tom Izzo tells the origin story of his famous WAR drill

Michigan State fans know that Tom Izzo has fostered a tough culture in East Lansing, but how did the WAR drill originate?

Tom Izzo was recently on the Pardon My Take podcast, one of the most popular sports podcasts in the world, and let me tell you, it was one of the best interviews I’ve ever seen from him. He told many great stories, talked about the future of Michigan State basketball, and spoke about some behind-the-scenes coaching decisions he’s made in the past.

One fun story he told was how his famous WAR drill began.

What is the WAR drill?

Izzo’s famous WAR drill has essentially nothing to do with basketball. You could argue it has little to do with rebounding, but it’s mainly used only to teach toughness.

During this drill, five players begin under the hoop with another five spread around the 3-point line. A coach throws the ball up and the players go to war for it. Oh yeah, and did I mention they are wearing a helmet and football pads?

I’ll let you imagine the chaos that ensues when Izzo does this drill, some of you might even think it sounds fun. But let’s get into the origin story of this drill.

When did the WAR drill begin?

It’s time we head back to the days Mateen Cleaves was running the show in East Lansing. These years were arguably the greatest in Michigan State basketball history. They included three regular season championships, two conference tournament titles, three Final Fours, and one national title.

These teams were Izzo’s best all-around teams, and they were also some of his toughest.

The Spartans were also one of the best rebounding teams in the country and, according to Izzo, had won the rebounding battle about 24 games in a row. That streak came to an end at Ohio State, and the team was not happy they lost the battle. Neither was Tom Izzo.

Before the next practice, Izzo got in touch with then Spartan head football coach Nick Saban to see if he could borrow some equipment from him. That’s when Izzo introduced this drill hoping to teach his team a lesson about being tough. Izzo however ran into one problem: the team loved it.

Maybe that just goes to show how tough and special this team already was, but Izzo jokingly said on the podcast that this made him furious. According to Izzo, the players would not stop talking about the drill and begging to do it again. No wonder these teams won so many championships.

For better or for worse, Izzo said he doesn’t do this drill anymore. Over 20 years later now he doesn’t think society will allow him to do it anymore. I’m sure we will never forget this drill, and it will always be another reminder of the greatness that is Tom Izzo.