MSU's Tom Izzo's Early Observations About His Team

EAST LANSING --- Michigan State's men's basketball team is going through its second week of official practices. The team's first exhibition is a bit more than three weeks away, and the first official game of the year is a little more than a month from now.

Headed into his 31st year as MSU's head coach, Tom Izzo spoke about some of his early observations with his team and also talked about the significance of the Izzone Campout and "MSU Madness" this coming Friday.

Full video of his Tuesday press availability can be found below.

Watch Tom Izzo here:

In addition, a partial transcript of Izzo's press conference is also below.

Transcript

Michigan State's coach Tom Izzo looks on during the first day of basketball practice on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

IZZO: I watched a little bit (of the MLB Playoffs), great win for the Tigers, helps our state, that's great. How many innings did Skubal throw?

Reporter: Seven and two-thirds, 107 pitches, I think. He was throwing 101.

IZZO: We better get him up for another game.

Sep 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) delivers in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | David Dermer-Imagn Images

Q: How are you feeling two weeks in, wherever you are, since we last saw you, anything interesting develop?

IZZO: You know what? I'm doing better. I mean, I think we're starting to make some progress. Trey (Fort's) been out for four days with the flu and everything. Other than that, we're pretty healthy.

There's no question that the new guys, it takes longer. Thank God that we still have five or six guys that have been in the system. I still say that's going to be very important. This year, next year, and the year after it.

Q: For guys like Kur (Teng) and Jesse (McCulloch), the advantage of being in the program for a year, do you see that?

IZZO: Yeah, I do. And both of them, you know? And Kur's got to be our best shooter. So I feel like he's gotten better defensively.

And Jesse had a rough first half of the day. When you guys (the media) came, he turned on, the lights came on, he turned it on.

Michigan State's Kur Teng, left, jokes with teammate Jase Richardson during men's basketball media day on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Q: Is Trey and Kur, is that a situation you see, I guess, is competitive through the next month or so for that two-guard spot?

IZZO: It isn't very competitive right now, because Trey is not guarding. So he has got to guard somebody, because my 99-year-old mother is not the guy I need, the person I need him guarding. I need him guarding people. So we are on him about that. He is a phenomenal athlete. He has phenomenal strength. He's Coen Carr-ish, only 6'4". Now he's got to guard like Coen.

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