Tom Izzo blasts NCAA over controversial Baylor-NBA draft pick decision

EAST LANSING – Tom Izzo pulled Coen Carr into a meeting and polled him on a hypothetical situation: How would the Michigan State basketball junior feel if his Hall of Fame coach went out and brought back Miles Bridges to take his position?

Don’t laugh. It’s getting closer to reality in college sports.

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And it’s a question many coaches, including Izzo, are pondering with the Christmas Eve development of Baylor landing a midseason pickup in center James Nnaji and the NCAA granting the former Detroit Pistons draft pick immediately eligible to play.

“I thought I’d seen the worst. Then Christmas came,” Izzo said after practice Saturday, Dec. 27. “It topped it. It just topped it. What happened just topped it.”

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo talks to guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) from the bench during the second half against Oakland at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.

Izzo said he has a message in to Baylor coach Scott Drew, whom he considers a “good friend” from their time on various committees and Drew’s decade working at Valparaiso alongside his dad, Homer, before moving to Baylor in 2003. The 31st-year MSU coach, whose ninth-ranked Spartans are 11-1 heading into Monday’s home game with Cornell (7 p.m./FS1), is continually concerned about the direction he’s seeing college sports taking.

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“Now we’re taking guys that were drafted in the NBA and everything?” Izzo said. “I said it to you a month and a half ago – c’mon Magic (Johnson) and Gary (Harris), let’s go baby, let’s do it. Why not? I mean, if that’s what we’re going to, shame on the NCAA. Shame on the coaches, too. But shame on the NCAA, because coaches are gonna do what they gotta do, I guess. But the NCAA is the one. Those people on those committees that are making those decisions to allow something so ridiculous and not think of the kid.

“So everybody talks about me thinking of my program or I’m selfish. No. Get that…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tom-izzo-blasts-ncaa-over-204209643.html

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Publish date : 2025-12-27 20:42:00

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