Dusty May Exit Reveals What Makes MSU's Tom Izzo Unique

There is a large portion of people who have never known life without Tom Izzo coaching Michigan State basketball.

The Spartans' Hall of Fame coach first arrived on campus as an assistant in 1983 and was promoted to head coach back in 1995. Izzo's arch-rival, Dusty May, just left Michigan for the Dallas Mavericks after only two seasons in Ann Arbor. Izzo's president and athletic director are also both leaving MSU. Both of those situations show why Izzo is such a unique commodity.

On May's Departure

Apr 6, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies during the first half in the national championship of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There is nothing inherently wrong with May taking an NBA job. He's a basketball coach who has reached the pinnacle of college basketball. The NBA might be the next challenge in his eyes. It's the best basketball league on Earth, after all.

May's leaving Michigan is a giant relief for MSU, too. The idea of facing him and his teams twice a season for the foreseeable future is anything but attractive. Wolverine fans will be justified in feeling the same way if/when Izzo retires someday. It's possible to hate or dislike a coach, but recognize that they are quite good at what they do.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shakes the hand of an Ohio State assistant before a game at the Breslin Center on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Izzo and May have been in very similar situations. Izzo won his national title during his fifth season as head coach of the Spartans, aged 45. May did it in his second year at 49. Izzo was heavily pursued by the Atlanta Hawks after he won the national championship. The Hawks offered him a contract that would've paid Izzo more than what he was making at Michigan State by orders of magnitude.

He said no. Izzo also turned down the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010, when it would've given him a chance to coach LeBron James (this was the summer he eventually went to the Miami Heat). There was also a supposed flirtation with the Phoenix Suns in 2025, though owner Mat Ishbia denies offering Izzo the job. He eventually hired former Izzo grad assistant Jordan Ott.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo gives instructions to his team during a game against Rutgers on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Deciding to stay is the unique part. Those decisions to stick with it at MSU are why Tom Izzo is now entering Year 32 in charge in East Lansing, making him the second-longest-tenured coach in Division I men's basketball (Greg Kampe at Oakland).

The next Michigan coach will be the seventh different coach Izzo will face in the rivalry. Seven coaches in more than three decades isn't even some crazy rate of change. Izzo has been around for so long, adding another year to his still-active NCAA Tournament streak, which is now 28 seasons long.

Keeping coaches like Izzo, especially as a college program, is just so tough. Very few programs can truly and rightfully claim to be "destination" jobs.

When Izzo first arrived, Michigan State wasn't really one of those places. A national title, eight Final Fours, and 17 total Big Ten Championships later, MSU is one of those places because Izzo has treated it like that.

On Batt, Guskiewicz Departures

University of Kentucky athletics director J Batt speaks with members of the media during an interview session in Lexington, Ky., on June 16, 2026. Batt was introduced this week as the successor to retiring athletics director Mitch Barnhart. | Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Izzo has stuck with Michigan State through good times and bad. The Spartans are going through a tough time themselves right now. President Kevin Guskiewicz will soon be headed to Clemson, and athletic director J Batt is in the process of leaving for Kentucky.

Changes at the top of the university are not a new concept for Izzo, either. He's seen several presidents, permanent or temporary, come and go during his time here. Athletic directors have also come and gone.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo yells at a referee about a call made during a game against Northwestern at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

It's almost like Izzo's men's basketball program is a separate thing entirely from the rest of the school and the athletic department. There is some added freedom that comes with Izzo's successes, but the level of consistency is still remarkable given the external factors that could've driven the school and program in the other direction.

There have been plenty of scandals, big and small, that have also brought public shame or embarrassment to the university. Izzo has consistently worked to get Michigan State through those times. The administration really hasn't even earned Izzo's loyalty, but he's still given it, deserved or not.

Instead of looking to go somewhere else, Izzo has continued to try to make things better where he still is. Izzo has been and remains highly supportive of Guskiewicz's tenure at MSU. He's strongly implied that he's placing the blame on the Board of Trustees, saying recently that he wishes that their seats weren't filled by a public vote.

"Jud [Heathcote] told me, 'You'll never be bigger than the program,'" Izzo said last week. "There'll be no president, trustee, AD, or basketball coach bigger than the university... I don't just care about basketball. I don't just care about athletics. I care about this university. That's what we're supposed to do, and that's been challenged a little bit."

Michigan State's Tom Izzo pumps his fist after a play during a game against Rutgers on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

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