Tom Izzo: Michigan State basketball must improve on-court talking

EAST LANSING – Defend, rebound and run. Those are cardinal tenets of Tom Izzo’s basketball philosophy.

The unspoken fourth element the Hall of Fame coach demands from his Michigan State basketball players is communication. About which he had plenty to say with the first real game looming – starting with getting his guys to stop being so quiet.

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“That is one of our problems. And who would ever think that?” Izzo said before practice Thursday, Oct. 29. “If you wrote that Izzo is worried about communication, most people would say you better worry about your jump shots or turnovers or guarding somebody or getting a rebound. It’s a very important part of the game and one we’re spending some time on, because it’s been a few more guys than normal.

“And so if that’s their personality, then we’re gonna try to change some of their personality.”

Izzo’s team exited the exhibition season with two losses in three games, and he is concerned about his players showing more of the holy trinity of the Spartans’ staples.

Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. reacts to being called for a foul during the second half in the game against UConn on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

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He needs to see more from his fastbreak. He wants Jeremy Fears Jr. to turn up that tempo; as Izzo is pushing his All-American point guard to become more of a pest on the other end. He continues to try and coax more and more rebounding out of a frontcourt that, he admits, remains a work in progress.

But Izzo’s biggest order ahead of No. 6 MSU’s season-opener against Quinnipiac is for the Spartans to become louder and talk more while on the court.

“You can’t play defense without communication. So that’s first,” forward Coen Carr said after Thursday’s practice. “Communication might even be before you defend, to be honest. That’s the most important thing.”

When the season tips off at Breslin Center on…

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Publish date : 2026-10-30 09:08:00

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