Why Tom Izzo’s Leadership Development Is 2-Way Street
Much gets made of Tom Izzo's interactions with his players. Often, they are caught in the heat of the moment of high-stakes games and misconstrued as negative conversations by opposing fans, but it's really just the Hall of Fame coach trying to get the most out of his team.
Izzo and his players have a unique relationship, encouraging open communication that allows constructive criticism on both sides. It's that policy and the ability to challenge each other that have made them great. Michigan State's best leaders and most successful players have been the ones who were not afraid to challenge the coach and were better off for it.
"When they get here, my thing is always: You got something to say? My door is open," Izzo said after Sunday's practice. "You got something to say on the court, it's open. I don't have as much time, but you better have the frickin goods when you come to me. That's all."
Draymond Green was one player notorious for his heated in-game interactions with Izzo, but the two have a great relationship to this day. Izzo has been known to travel to support Green at his games, and the power forward has frequently returned the favor and made donations to the school.
"I always laugh about Draymond," Izzo remarked. "Some of those huddles were legendary. The problem with Draymond was that, 90 percent of the time, he had the goods. That really bothered me."
The Next Great Spartan Leader
It may have bothered the coach to lose those arguments with Green, but his teams have been better with a player like that on the roster. Now, the 70-year-old believes he has another built in the same mold in redshirt sophomore Jeremy Fears. The point guard and Izzo have had dynamic exchanges in huddles during games this season, which, once again, the public has overblown.
"Mateen Cleaves, Travis Walton, Draymond Green -- I got a whole list of them, and if he ends up as good as those guys, he can say whatever he wants to me," Izzo added. "It don't bother me any. ... It's not at all what people think. He's competitive, and I'm competitive."
Fears' leadership already rivals that of his predecessors, and he could be well on his way to joining them with the accomplishments on the court, with the way he has played over the last two seasons. But there's one thing stopping him.
"He hates when he doesn't do something right," Izzo said of his point guard. "Sometimes, he finds reasons for it, and I'm trying to get him out of that because, if I get him out of that, he's going to go from a really good player to a great player. [But] He's making progress every day."
If Fears is the next great leader for MSU, as it has appeared, he'll make the jump Izzo is asking of him. Once he does, the Spartans will become a major force in college basketball. All because of his respectful yet challenging relationship with his head coach and the influence past leaders have had on Izzo's program.
-ac9f01ae65e71c7320d1c61247b2ecac.jpg "Travis Tyler")
Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.