FLINT -- MSU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tom Izzo was treated like a hero during his Wednesday night stop in Flint; so much so, he was given the 3rd Annual Patrick McInnis Community Hero Award from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Flint.
He was joined by a virtual who’s who of Genesee County which included Mayor Dayne Walling, and State Sen. John Gleason among others. There was another special guest: 2000 NCAA basketball champion Mateen Cleaves of the Spartans’ classic Flintstones era, which included Morris Peterson and Charlie Bell.
Together, Izzo and Cleaves paid an unmistakable homage to the history and great basketball tradition that is Flint, Michigan.
“I’ve recruited kids from a lot of different places in the country but I’m not sure any tougher or harder working than this city has produced,” he said in an interview after accepting his award. “The proof is in the pudding. That’s no recruiting ploy. That’s the truth.”
But a legend whose career includes a national title, six Final Four appearances and six Big Ten Championships, almost left East Lansing for the pros. That was when mortgage lending tycoon and Cleveland Cavaliers head honcho Dan Gilbert gave Izzo the potential offer of a lifetime: a head coaching gig worth reportedly $30 million a year.
Maybe it was the possibly of retaining LeBron James that drew Izzo’s fancy. Maybe it was the chance to coach in the NBA. Maybe it was his admiration of Dan Gilbert, an MSU alum. Or maybe it was just the money. Whatever it was, Izzo knew he had to take a look and meet with the organization.
The process took nine days. For Spartan fans, those were nine long, silent days with nothing coming from the Izzo camp. Was he going? Was he staying? No one knew, or those who did couldn’t say.
MSU Athletic Director Mark Hollis, a close personal friend of Izzo’s for more than 20 years, said he spoke with Izzo regularly at the time but told the public a process was in place to replace the Iron Mountain native, if necessary.
It wasn’t until a colorful press conference where Izzo was joined by Hollis and President Lou Anna K. Simon where he said he was a “Spartan for life”.
“It was tough you know? It was tough. Dan Gilbert was very good to me and I enjoyed my time with him,” he said. “But there’s things that we’ve built there that I’m just not sure I could leave and give up.”
Perhaps it’s fair to call that “Red Cedar” water under the bridge, and that includes the once seemingly tense relationship between Izzo and Detroit News sports writer Lynn Henning. Izzo’s now firing on all cylinders, and focused on the upcoming basketball season.
We could tell you more about that here, but you have to click on the video link to hear the rest of the story!
