Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 14 head coaches in 2023 offseason
By Joey Loose
1. Tom Izzo – Michigan State
Back in the mid-70’s, Izzo was just a regular athlete at Northern Michigan, rooming with future NFL head coach Steve Mariucci. He would return to his alma mater as an assistant a few years after graduating before joining Jud Heathcote’s staff at Michigan State in 1983. Following twelve seasons as Heathcote’s assistant, Izzo was given the top job and has remained in place for the last 28 years.
Izzo led Michigan State to the national championship in 2000 and has taken the Spartans to eight trips to the Final Four, most recently in 2019. Michigan State has appeared in 25 consecutive NCAA Tournaments under Izzo’s leadership, the second longest streak in the nation. He’s also won a great number of Big Ten regular season and conference tournament titles. The most recent squad finished 4th in the conference and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, Izzo’s 15th trip to at least the second weekend of the Big Dance.
Not only is he the conference’s only coach with a national title, he’s responsible for the Big Ten’s most recent championship way back in 2000. While the Spartans haven’t cut down the nets since then, they’ve been the Big Ten’s best program these last two decades. Izzo has recruited some incredible basketball players to East Lansing and always puts this program in position for success, with regular trips to the Final Four and yearly relevance for this program. There’s no question that he’s the top of this list.
Next. Top 60 available players in transfer portal. dark
We’ve taken a deeper dive into the head coaches in the Big Ten and looked at how they currently stand. Do you agree with the current ranking of these coaches or is somebody out of place? We’ll just have to see how things play out for these coaches and their programs in the years to come.