425 Quotes by Tom Izzo

It was clutch. That's kind of his play, where he can switch to his right hand or his left hand. You know he missed a couple wide-open 3's that he's been hitting in practice. But to have the courage to take it I guess is what impressed me the most.

If you're always going 11-0 or 12-0 in the preseason, you can get 20 wins easier. If you're playing other people, it's a lot more difficult to do that. I'm proud that we did it the hard way. When you do that, your kids get mentally tougher.

When we won the national championship (in 2000), it was an incredible run and an incredible week, but when I walked off the airplane and pulled up to the hotel and someone pokes his head in the bus and says 'Thank you,' I knew what this was going to be about,

This was one of the worst defensive teams I've had. I tried to adjust to people. People are gonna start adjusting to me. ... I don't think anyone wants to be perceived as a jerk. Sometimes a coach wants to be liked. I don't care if I'm liked anymore. We will be tougher.

I think Al is getting better and better (in the point area). He's starting to rebound better and better at times and if he continues to do that, I think it will help us.

It was good for him to get a little confidence, get some shots up, get a little playing time in.

What I think a successful program is, is not the one who wins it every year, but the one that is truly knocking at the door and everyone knows every year. They are a threat to do something.

I think it proves my theory that you just have to be physically and mentally tough as nails. That's been a problem for us. We've tried to address it, and we're going to address it from here on out.

Before Christmas I thought he was hitting a little bit of a wall, but after Christmas I thought he really started to understand things a little bit better and run things a little bit better. And his shot is getting a little bit better.