When Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo speaks, you should listen. That is probably even more true if you are a basketball coach. This week, Tom Izzo was a featured guest at the Larry Shyatt coaching clinic, and on Wednesday, he gave some insight into his philosophy around the transfer portal with Michigan State basketball.
“When I go in the portal, the first place I go is to my locker room. I want to keep most of the guys on my team.”
This quote, which was captured by Jeff Goodman, gives some good insight into how Izzo has ran his program in East Lansing since the advent of the so-called ‘transfer portal era’ in 2021. Since 2021, the Spartans have only had seven players transfer out of the program, which is tied for first in the Big Ten.
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Izzo is known as a transfer portal hater, but he has also shown a willingness to go into the portal to get players like Frankie Fidler, Tyson Walker, Szymon Zapala, and more. It just seems like the first consideration he makes is not upsetting what he already has in the locker room, which includes a group of players he recruited and believes in.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Tom Izzo explains his transfer portal philosophy
