MSU's Izzo Praises Akins for Resilience
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo spoke on Tuesday afternoon after winning his fourth Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
He was asked about senior guard Jaden Akins, who had just been named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team and All-Big Ten Third Team, and his resiliency after going through some scoring struggles this season.
Izzo gave the veteran immense praise for the way he carried himself and performed this season while drawing a comparison to one of the all-time Spartan greats that came before him.
"Another incredible sacrifice, instead of pouting, because he did struggle some offensively. Thank God he seems to be really catching it now, but instead of complaining about it, he just found a different way to add value and boy, did he have value," Izzo said.
" ... "We all talk a lot about Gary Harris around here because he was a guy that could play both ends of the court, and I think Jaden took that to heart, and I'm really happy for him because that's not easy to do.
"To go from an offensive-offensive player, which he still is, he's always been a decent defender, but I think he became the guy that we put on the best player in the other team or sometimes the biggest wing guy. I thought he handled it incredibly well and was a big reason for our success."
Akins did receive a fair amount of criticism and doubts from Spartan fans and media members after going through a rough patch at the most crucial time of the year. As Izzo mentioned, Akins failed to complain, sulk or pout. He found a way to make this team and was incredible in his role.
Not to mention, his last three games have featured a three-point shooting clip of 36% (10-28), which is up 6% from his season average of 29.6%. He has continued to shoot with utmost confidence and has delivered on the defensive end to keep his impact and playing time at a career-high level.
Akins was named to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team and third-team All-Big Ten for his efforts this season. He helped lead the Spartans to their 17th conference title, their most conference wins in a regular season (17), and a double bye in the Big Ten Tournament.
Akins and the Spartans will resume play on Friday afternoon as they prepare for the conference tournament. Akins is currently averaging 12.9 points on 39.9% shooting, adding 3.7 rebounds and some game-changing defense.
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