WEST LAFAYETTE — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo’s day ended with a 76-74 victory over Purdue – his first in Mackey Arena since 2014.
It began with the rekindling of one of the most important connections he made when he took over the Spartans over 30 years ago. He met with Boilermakers coaching legend Gene Keady for breakfast and spent 90 minutes talking about both old times and new.
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Izzo said the visit “motivated me on what’s real.” He passed that perspective on to the Spartans at their team meal.
“He was phenomenal,” Izzo said of their conversation.
“… He gave me a lot, because I always apologize like I’m supposed to, because they call me old or old school and all that crap. He made me realize winning, back when he started — it was somewhere A.D., I don’t think it was B.C. — but it was a long time ago.
“But what he did hasn’t changed. And that’s the beauty of the man.”
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Izzo recalled his first big win at Mackey as MSU’s coach. It came on Dec. 30, 1997, during Mateen Cleaves’ sophomore season against a Purdue team ranked No. 5.
Izzo said Keady became a kind of coaching mentor to him after his predecessor Judd Heathcote — a close friend of Keady’s — retired and moved to Washington. Izzo was the presenter when Keady was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023.
That doesn’t mean Keady was all that happy for Izzo after Thursday’s game, though.
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“He’s a Purdue guy, now,” Izzo said. “I went and saw him after the game and he gave me the ‘nice game,’ but I know he wanted to wring my neck.
“That too is what I love about him. He’s so loyal to this place. I hope coaches and players get to be loyal to their school, because this guy is a treasure. He’s a treasure. And I mean that.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Tom Izzo conversation with Gene Keady before Michigan State win at Purdue
