Fellow Coach Deems Spartans' Izzo 'Greatest in College Basketball History'

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was named the greatest coach in college basketball history by long-time friend, colleague, and head coach of Oakland University, Greg Kampe.

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, left, talks with Oakland's head coach Greg Kampe before the game on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. \"They get their players going, the level of intensity just ratchets up and there's nothing you can do about it as a visiting player or team,\" Said Kampe of the Izzone impact. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Following Michigan State's comeback win over Illinois last weekend, Coach Tom Izzo broke the all-time record for career Big Ten wins with 354. He passed the late, great Bob Knight, receiving an outpour of congratulations from numerous figures in his life and basketball.

One fellow coach and long-time friend who expressed the ultimate praise was current Oakland coach Greg Kampe. The longest-tenured coach in Division I history expressed his congratulations to Izzo for breaking the record while making quite the statement.

"And you knew this was going to happen," Kampe said in a tribute video to Izzo. "You knew that he was going to get there because he loves the state of Michigan. He loves your University, Michigan State. And he is, in my opinion, the greatest in the history of college basketball."

The thing is, Kampe is right. It may be a stretch for those outside of East Lansing to agree with Kampe, but when all the variables are added up, Izzo is second to none. Not only is he the best coach in Big Ten history but in the entire history of college basketball.

Dean Smith, Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Knight may all have more national titles and overall storied success than Izzo, but it goes far past the wins to be the best coach in college basketball.

Nothing takes away from the character of the coaches previously mentioned, but Izzo is a better human being than a basketball coach. That says a lot, considering the Iron Mountain native has led his group to eight Final Fours, 26 straight tournament appearances, and a national title (2000).

When has Izzo ever run into a scandal? When has a former or current player ever said anything negative about him or his coaching methods? When has a program ever felt more proud to call a coach their own and be one of the luckiest fanbases in an entire sport. Never with Izzo at the helm.

Spartan fans must realize how lucky they are to have a guy like Izzo coaching their basketball team for the past 30 years. There are so many programs that foam at the mouth for a storied coach to come change their program and Izzo has done just that over the decades while being an incredible person.

Kampe ended his remarks with optimism for Izzo's future on the Spartans sideline and knows that he has more left in the tank to lead this team to the promise land once again. The relationship between these two coaches runs deep and is another example of Izzo's friendship and greatness.

"The best part of this is he's going to smash that record, because he's got a lot of years left, and he's going to win a hell of a lot more games," Kampe said. "Congratulations, Izz."

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