Is it just me, or has Izzo stepped it up big time?

snuggles the bear · 11-03-2009, 08:59 PM

Are you questioning Izzo? Is someone here questioning Izzo?

HOW DARE ANY OF YOU QUESTION IZZO

MSUtopia · 11-03-2009, 09:04 PM

Another NC and we shoot up the charts of the great basketball programs. We have a good chance in the next couple of years. Then watch the recruiting. MSU has had a lot of success with Izzo and before but we are just now entering the Golden Age of MSU basketball.

chitownsparty86 · 11-03-2009, 09:07 PM

It is you. The man had fantastic classes before except for the 2006 one.

AvgMSUJoe · 11-03-2009, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chitownsparty86

It is you. The man had fantastic classes before except for the 2006 one.

Yeah, I think he has only had one questionable one in the past 9-10 years...

goState18 · 11-03-2009, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvgMSUJoe

Yeah, I think he has only had one questionable one in the past 9-10 years...

and that class had Walton, so questions are meaningless

Spartan Pride · 11-03-2009, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvgMSUJoe

Stepped it up???

VS. Paul Davis and Kelvin Torbert and Jason Richardson

Quise's Five Stars?

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvgMSUJoe

Remember the Neitzel hype?

He has been at this level since about 2001...

(except for one year)

But these weren't the most balanced classes of all-time.

Guys like Rowley, Ibok, and Maurice Joseph aren't very common. Even dudes like Naymick and Travis Walton (both of whom developed into very good players) were projects that took a few years to develop into anything that could play in the Big Ten.

Loose Stools · 11-03-2009, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snuggles the bear

Are you questioning Izzo? Is someone here questioning Izzo?

HOW DARE ANY OF YOU QUESTION IZZO

Yeah, nice thought. Wait until the first loss of the season, you'll see how they dare.

spartans17 · 11-03-2009, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spartan Pride

But these weren't the most balanced classes of all-time.

Guys like Rowley, Ibok, and Maurice Joseph aren't very common. Even dudes like Naymick and Travis Walton (both of whom developed into very good players) were projects that took a few years to develop into anything that could play in the Big Ten.

Well, when they were being recruited most of those guys were as highly rated as the ones we are getting right now. Kearney is a 4 star but he's in the latter half of the top 100. As is Russell Byrd who is even out of the top 100 on the other site. Gauana (sp?) is ranked as either a 3 or 4 star.

MoJo was supposed to be a great athlete with a killer stroke. He was rated as a 4 star. Rowley was a big recruit, he too was a 4 star. Naymick was supposed to be the next big thing. Ibok was a project, but both him and Walton had numerous BCS offers.

My point is that after having seeing how those recruits played out, we tend to forget that they were pretty highly ranked themselves. I think it's more likely than not that some of the recruits from the current classes don't fulfill their potential the way many here envision. When you bring in 13 upper level players like Izzo is doing, at some point it becomes a numbers game and players can't showcase their skills on the court. That's how someone ends up becoming either like Mojo (transfer) or Ibok (specialist/rarely sees minutes).

SpartanBrizz · 11-03-2009, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chitownsparty86

It is you. The man had fantastic classes before except for the 2006 one.

you mean 2005 - Walton and Maurice Joseph..two three stars and that's it.

2006 had Raymar (w/ Dahlman and Herzog) so that's hardly a "down" year.

goosinator2005 · 11-03-2009, 09:40 PM

how many stars was draymond green?

xwing · 11-03-2009, 09:44 PM

Yes Izzo always recruits well but I think the key is he is going after pure "basketball players" now and that is according to him.

There was a period where he got sucked into recruiting physical athletes and not pure "basketball players". I think he sees the value now in getting guys who have a high basketball IQ and that you don't have time to develop players (at least as much as he thought) and if they are more skilled early on it makes their ceiling much higher. He is still getting athletes don't get me wrong but they are the complete package now.

They may not be as big or as tall but they are skilled and they can run and fly.

chitownsparty86 · 11-03-2009, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpartanBrizz

you mean 2005 - Walton and Maurice Joseph..two three stars and that's it.

2006 had Raymar (w/ Dahlman and Herzog) so that's hardly a "down" year.

Yes, 2005. My mistake.

chitownsparty86 · 11-03-2009, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goosinator2005

how many stars was draymond green?

3 I believe.

419Spartan08 · 11-03-2009, 09:50 PM

Maybe if he had shaved his head I might be able to agree

xwing · 11-03-2009, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chitownsparty86

3 I believe.

Yes green is exactly the kind of pure "basketball player" that Izzo is going after that is making the difference. He isn't that tall (6'7") for a 4 and izzo might have passed on him in the past but he saw the intagibles that green had and that he was a winner. He doesn't jump off the video as far as his measurables go but he wins and he knows how to play the game. It is pretty telling when a Frosh Green played over two senior projects (gray and Ibok) who were bigger and had more "potential".

SpartanBrizz · 11-03-2009, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xwing

Yes green is exactly the kind of pure "basketball player" that Izzo is going after that is making the difference. He isn't that tall (6'7") for a 4 and izzo might have passed on him in the past but he saw the intagibles that green had and that he was a winner. He doesn't jump off the video as far as his measurables go but he wins and he knows how to play the game. It is pretty telling when a Frosh Green played over two senior projects (gray and Ibok) who were bigger and had more "potential".

not to mention how he's already seemed to have taken the reigns of leadership from Walton...frankly that's the most impressive part of The Dancing Bear...he's a born leader - just like Izzo

The Matador · 11-03-2009, 10:15 PM

I think the step up is a natural progression.

At first he had to get guys to buy into him, and buy into what he was selling, but had nothing to sell to the recruit except a promise.

He's built a brand, he can go after the best of the best.

He himself said he is trying to go after more "winners", and not just good athletes.

75alum · 11-03-2009, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MSUtopia

Another NC and we shoot up the charts of the great basketball programs. We have a good chance in the next couple of years. Then watch the recruiting. MSU has had a lot of success with Izzo and before but we are just now entering the Golden Age of MSU basketball.

MSU has really cemented itself as a place to be if you are determined to play in the NBA. Good players know they will be seen and will be ready to play pro ball. Also, if they decide to leave early and they are ready, they know that Izzo will support their decision and help. Ofcourse, the more talent that comes in, the shorter the stay. That can be a problem if you're only getting a few of those and not every recruiting year. Izzo has the team where he can get cream every year so short rotations may not be as disruptive. Moreover, why go to the NBA when your college program reaches that level?

Chi Town Sparty · 11-03-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spartan Punk

Izzo has gotten the program to the point where it pretty much recruits itself. That is truly amazing.

He would be the first one to say it's not there yet. He's always references Duke, Kentucky, KU, UNC as programs that can go out and pick any kid. I will say this, he's gotten the ball rolling as well or better then the Mateen, JRich, Randolph, Marcus Taylor years where he was brining top 20 talent and molding it into the powerhouse that we're still enjoying.

GRR Spartan · 11-03-2009, 11:39 PM

IZZO works very hard for those players in that 250-300 mile radius of East Lansing. Chris Allen is an exception and he had a Lansing MI connection with extended family. He also got Lorbek who stiffed the team with the encouragement of his coach/father and Ibok was a plan B guy who was a decent role player.

But just last year after years of recruiting Wilson went to Oregon so IZZO landing 3 star players like Walton is sometimes a better risk/reward deal than selling the farm for a player like Wilson who changes his mind at the 11th hour.

Artie Loves Pancakes · 11-03-2009, 11:49 PM

You don't go to 5 final fours in 11 years without recruiting great players. So it's not a new thing. That said, the way we've been rolling for the past decade undoubtedly helps us with some elite prospects that we wouldn't have gotten 10-15 years ago. But I don't think the leap has been as recent as 4 years.

Artie Loves Pancakes · 11-03-2009, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goosinator2005

how many stars was draymond green?

Ron Jeremy · 11-03-2009, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haseebo

Recruiting-wise... I mean we were never doing terribly, but in my gut I feel the average "star count" of each class has to have jacked up noticeably in the last 4 years or so.

2006: Morgan/Dahlman/Herzog (4 stars each)
2007: Lucas/Summers/Allen/Thornton (4, 5, 4, 2)
2008: Luciuos/Roe/Green (4, 5, 4)
2009: Nix/Sherman (4, 4)
2010: Payne/Gauna/Byrd/Appling (5, 4, 4, 4)
2011: Kearney/???? (4)

Not sure stepped it up is the right way to phrase it. TI has always worked hard.

I think it's a matter of getting in the ear of the right players that fit this program, interested in what we have to offer, for BB and beyond.

Payne made it clear, the visit is what sold him on MSU, the team, the coaches, the atmosphere is what drove him towards MSU. That is pretty cool.

IzzoisdaMan · 11-03-2009, 11:59 PM

Let's not forget about the assistant coaches in all of this, especially Dwayne Stephens...guy has been a recruiting machine the past few years.

aroz13 · 11-04-2009, 12:00 AM

I think it is real simple. MSU beat up Kansas and the Big East in one tournament. It tends to get people's attention, and it reminds kids just how good Izzo really is.

I will say, it would be interesting to get "THE guy" (Wall, Henry, Oden...) and see what Izzo could do with him for 1 year. But not if the tradeoff is becoming Texas, OSU, Memphis, etc.