Report: Doug Wojcik elevated to Michigan State basketball assistant coach

Doug Wojcik appears to be the guy to fill the vacancy left by Dane Fife’s departure to Indiana.

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Dane Fife recently left the Michigan State basketball family to take a job as an assistant coach with Indiana, leaving a vacant spot on the Spartan coaching staff.

Tom Izzo spent time reviewing the candidates and has found his guy to replace Fife.

Doug Wojcik has spent time as an assistant coach with Notre Dame, North Carolina and Gonzaga, as well as being a Michigan State assistant from 2003-2005 before returning as the director of recruiting in 2018.

Wojcik has also been the head coach of two programs, Tulsa and the College of Charleston, compiling a 178-121 record in that time.

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Izzo issues statement on Aaron Henry entering NBA Draft – ‘Can’t wait to see his future’

Aaron Henry’s decision to enter the NBA Draft came as no surprise to MSU head coach Tom Izzo, and is a decision he “fully supports.”

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Aaron Henry’s decision to enter his name into the NBA Draft came as no surprise to Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, and is a decision he “fully supports.”

Henry officially announced on Monday that he would forgo his final season at Michigan State to enter his name into the NBA Draft. This decision was expected by many — including Izzo — after Henry put together an impressive junior season for the Spartans.

Here is a bit of what Izzo had to say about Henry’s decision to go pro:

“Aaron making the decision to put his name in for the NBA Draft this year is not surprising and is something I fully support. He and his family went through the exploration process last year and came away with a much better understanding of what he’d need to do in order to make the next step for his basketball career.

“Like every college player, Aaron had to go through many adjustments in his workout and practice schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the hurdles he had to go through, Aaron led our team in virtually every statistical category and, in my mind, was one of the best players in the Big Ten Conference. I know Aaron is determined to make this next step in his career and I’m going to give him all the help that I can so that he can achieve his dreams.”

You can read Izzo’s full statement on Henry’s departure in the tweet below or by clicking here.

Henry finished this past season averaging 15.4 points, 3.6 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.

Henry is currently projected as a late first round or early second round pick in this year’s upcoming NBA Draft.

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Izzo issues statement on Aaron Henry entering NBA Draft – ‘Can’t wait to see his future’

Aaron Henry’s decision to enter the NBA Draft came as no surprise to MSU head coach Tom Izzo, and is a decision he “fully supports.”

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Aaron Henry’s decision to enter his name into the NBA Draft came as no surprise to Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, and is a decision he “fully supports.”

Henry officially announced on Monday that he would forgo his final season at Michigan State to enter his name into the NBA Draft. This decision was expected by many — including Izzo — after Henry put together an impressive junior season for the Spartans.

Here is a bit of what Izzo had to say about Henry’s decision to go pro:

“Aaron making the decision to put his name in for the NBA Draft this year is not surprising and is something I fully support. He and his family went through the exploration process last year and came away with a much better understanding of what he’d need to do in order to make the next step for his basketball career.

“Like every college player, Aaron had to go through many adjustments in his workout and practice schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the hurdles he had to go through, Aaron led our team in virtually every statistical category and, in my mind, was one of the best players in the Big Ten Conference. I know Aaron is determined to make this next step in his career and I’m going to give him all the help that I can so that he can achieve his dreams.”

You can read Izzo’s full statement on Henry’s departure in the tweet below or by clicking here.

Henry finished this past season averaging 15.4 points, 3.6 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.

Henry is currently projected as a late first round or early second round pick in this year’s upcoming NBA Draft.

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WATCH: ESPN analyst Jay Bilas includes Tom Izzo in top 10 coaches of his lifetime rankings

Tom Izzo is one of the best 10 coaches in the modern college basketball era, according to Jay Bilas of ESPN.

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Tom Izzo is one of the best 10 coaches in the modern college basketball era, according to Jay Bilas of ESPN.

In honor of Roy Williams announcing his retirement from coaching at North Carolina, Bilas decided to rank the top 10 college basketball coaches of his lifetime and Izzo cracked his list. Bilas has Izzo at No. 8 in his rankings.

“Tom Izzo of Michigan State won the National Championship in 2000, tons of Final Fours, Big Ten championships and is also in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,” Bilas said in the video. “Tom Izzo (is) not only one of the best college basketball coaches ever, but one of the best coaches ever in American sports.”

You can watch the full video below to see Bilas’ complete top 10 rankings.

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Tom Izzo, Tyson Walker release statements on Walker’s official transfer to Michigan State basketball

Tom Izzo and Tyson Walker both released statements after his transfer to Michigan State was made official on Wednesday.

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The Tyson Walker era of Michigan State basketball starts now.

On Wednesday, the former Northeastern standout’s transfer to MSU was made official, and he now becomes the presumptive starting point guard of the Spartans heading into the 2021-22 season.

Walker had played two nice years for the Huskies before transferring to East Lansing. He had a stellar sophomore season for Northeastern, where he averaged 18.8 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. He truly broke out and made a name for himself after dropping 27 points in a loss to North Carolina.

Tom Izzo and Tyson Walker both put out statements commemorating his transfer to the program, and you can read both below.

Izzo’s statement:

Walker’s statement:

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Michigan State Men’s basketball included in ESPN’s ‘Way too-Early Top 25’

The Spartans made the Top-25 in ESPN’s first rankings following the conclusion of the 2020-21 season.

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The 2020-21 Men’s college basketball season is now over and the Baylor Bears are your National Champions. That means it is time for us to start speculating about the 2021-22 season, and in particular, the 2021-22 Michigan State basketball team. One media outlet is already anticipating that MSU will bounce back next season, at least back into the Top-25.

In ESPN’s ‘Way too early Top 25’, ESPN writer Jeff Borzello has the Spartans at No. 22 overall. However, you might want to take that opinion with a grain of salt, because Borzello also has MSU’s projected starting lineup as:

  • Tyson Walker
  • Max Christie
  • Gabe Brown
  • Malik Hall
  • Joey Hauser

After last season it’s hard to see Joey Hauser starting, especially not at the center position. At this time, Marcus Bingham Jr. should be the presumptive day one starter at center, unless Izzo brings in a transfer to fill that role.

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Tom Izzo releases statement on departure of longtime MSU assistant coach Dane Fife

Tom Izzo released a statement on Monday following the departure of his longtime assistant, Dane Fife, to Indiana.

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On Monday, longtime Michigan State basketball assistant coach Dane Fife announced that he would be returning to his alma mater, Indiana, as an assistant coach for new Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson.

Fife has been a fixture of the MSU program and Izzo’s staff since 2011. After the news was made official, Tom Izzo released a nice statement on Fife leaving to Indiana.

You can read it below:

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Michigan State basketball assistant Dane Fife to join Indiana basketball staff under Mike Woodson

MSU assistant coach Dane Fife is joining Mike Woodson’s staff at Indiana.

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After 10 years coaching on Tom Izzo’s staff at Michigan State basketball, MSU assistant coach Dane Fife will be moving on. It was reported on Monday that he will be joining new Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson’s staff with the Hoosiers.

This makes a good bit of sense, considering that Fife was a tremendous player for the Hoosiers during his playing career, where was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after his senior season. He still owns the all-time steals record at Indiana with 180.

Fife was an assistant with Indiana from 2003-05 before becoming the head coach for IPFW from 2005-11. He has been on Izzo’s staff since 2011.

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Tom Izzo comments on Roy Williams’ retirement

Shocking news in college basketball today as legendary North Carolina head coach Roy Williams announced his retirement this morning.

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Shocking news in college basketball today.: Legendary North Carolina head coach Roy Williams announced his retirement this morning. Williams will go down as one of the best head coaches in college basketball history — something Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo acknowledged when talking about Roy Williams.

Izzo said about Williams: “I’ve had the privilege to coach against him many, many times, and I’ve always had great respect and admiration for not only what a great coach he is, but for how he has run his program and the class he has brought to college athletics’.” He also added how it would be “different to look at the North Carolina sideline and not see Roy there.”

Williams spent a total of 33 seasons as a college basketball head coach, 15 at Kansas and 18 at North Carolina. He finished with a 903-264 record with three NCAA national championships and nine Final Fours. He has the third-most wins NCAA Division I history only behind Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim.

You can read Izzo’s full statement on Roy Williams below:

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Tom Izzo comments on UCLA NCAA Tournament run

Tom Izzo gave his comments on the UCLA NCAA Tournament run after his Spartans fell just short of defeating the Bruins in the first four.

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Michigan State had a 5-point lead with just over one minute left in their first four game against UCLA, a bad final minute leading into overtime and the Bruins got past the Spartans.

Almost two weeks removed from that game, UCLA is still playing and will be heading to the final four.

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After witnessing the Bruins historic run, Spartan fans can’t help to think “what if”. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is no exception to that rule, the head man in East Lansing took to radio to share his mindset.

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