What Tom Izzo had to say before Michigan State basketball heads to Spain

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 21: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 21, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

For the first time since 2015, MSU is heading to Europe. Michigan State basketball is heading to Spain next week to play and practice overseas. The Spartans will suit up against different pro clubs from that region of Europe for three or four games, according to Izzo.

Before the trip, Tom Izzo caught up with the media to fill them in on where his program currently stands and what he’s hoping to accomplish in Spain.

You can see the key takeaways, along with the video, of that session below:

Will play club teams due to the Olympics

In 2015, the Spartans were able to play Olympic teams in practice. This time, because of the Olympics, the Spartans will play some pro clubs instead.

Jeremy Fears almost 100%

Izzo said Fears is 99-98% but mentioned that his shooting is a question mark still.

Izzo impressed by Jase Richardson

Izzo said that freshman Jase Richardson is shooting the ball well and playing good defense. Izzo also made a joke that he is doing stuff that his dad Jason wasn’t doing as a freshman.

On Frankie Fidler

Izzo said that with Frankie, they were looking for a bigger wing who could shoot, but they were also attracted to his ability to draw fouls and they said he’s not entitled.

On Szymon Zapala

Izzo called Zapala ‘really interested’ and ‘probably better than we thought’.

Izzo gives high compliment to Kur Teng

Izzo called Kur Teng his ‘best shooter’ right now.

On Moneyball

Izzo joked that nobody plays defense at Moneyball, so take some of the huge scoring numbers with a grain of salt.

On what he’s hoping for from Spain

Izzo said ‘the better teams we face, the better it is for me’.

He also mentioned that there is a lot that this team can get from Spain because the team…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/tom-izzo-had-michigan-state-025916953.html

Author : Spartans Wire

Publish date : 2024-08-07 02:59:16

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.