Tom Izzo Hires Former Spartan Player To Fill Vacant Assistant Coach Position
A former Spartan champion is headed back to East Lansing to fill Michigan State's open assistant coach position.
On Friday, Tom Izzo announced that he would hire former player and graduate assistant Thomas Kelley to fill the vacant opening on the staff after long-time assistant Dwayne Stephen's departed to become the head coach at Western Michigan.
Kelley spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Western Michigan, but began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in 2015.
"It's always been a thrill for me when I can bring a former player back to Michigan State and that's definitely the case with Thomas coming back as an assistant on my staff," Izzo said in a statement. "I've known Thomas for nearly 30 years, from recruiting him, coaching him and then having him on my staff when he started his career."
Kelley played at Michigan State from 1994 through 1999, beginning his career under former head coach Jud Heathcote. Kelley was a part of two Big Ten regular season championship teams (1997-98, 1998-99), and a member of the first Spartan squad to win the Big Ten Tournament in 1999.
“He was a player on my first Final Four team here and when he came back as a graduate assistant in 2015, you could tell from the jump that he was going to be a great coach, from his work on film, his work on the floor with the team and his ability to communicate with the players," Izzo said. "I always thought he’d be a terrific coach and he was able to grow and learn more during his time at Western Michigan. It’s great to have him back with his Spartan family.”
During Kelley's time as a graduate assistant in East Lansing, Michigan State won two Big Ten Championships and reached three NCAA Tournaments during that time.
Kelley played basketball overseas for 15 years following his graduation from Michigan State. He joined Spartans program as graduate manager ahead of the 2015-16 season, and spent three more seasons in the program before accepting an assistant coach position at Western Michigan.
Kelley played in 115 games at MSU, making seven career starts. He averaged 5.3 points, 2.0 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 0.6 steals for his career.
