Izzo Is Against Graduate Transfer Rule

GRAND RAPIDS — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo might have benefited from the graduate transfer rule that enabled guard Brandon Wood to play his senior season without sitting out a year and help the Spartans win a Big Ten championship.

But Izzo has also come out against the rule that enables players who graduate with eligibility remaining to seek waivers to transfer to another school and be able to play by enrolling in a graduate program not offered at the former school.

Izzo said last week after attending the National Association of Basketball Coaches meetings in Indianapolis that as the NCAA examines the issue, he hoped the loophole would be closed.

“I don’t like that rule, Izzo said. I’m worried that for every one that there’s really something for it, I’m worried that we’re going to start recruiting people off people’s campuses.

“The more success Wisconsin has in football, now they have another quarterback from Maryland (Danny O’Brien). Is that going to start happening? That’s what worries me, and that wouldn’t be good for us or for the profession to be honest with you.”

O’Brien signed with the Badgers in March and is eligible to play in the fall, using the graduate transfer rule that allowed quarterback Russell Wilson to play at Wisconsin last season without sitting out a year and lead the program to the Rose Bowl after a win in the Big Ten championship game against Michigan State.

Izzo, who started Wood and saw him average 8.8 points, does not support the transfer culture in college sports.

“I don’t think it’s bad that kids transfer, Izzo said. I think too many people are making bad decisions. You know, Jud Heathcote used to say when I was here way back when I first started (as an assistant), ‘Every freshman wants to transfer.’ Because none of them get what they got in high school — 40 points and this and that. Morris Peterson I always get back to. I think he wanted to transfer. Now he’s made (millions in the NBA) and has got his jersey hanging (at Breslin Center). You’ve just got to have some patience. I think too many people don’t want to have patience in this day and age. I feel sorry for the kids more than the coaches.”

Izzo also took note of the controversy created when Wisconsin originally denied a request for four schools to contact freshman Jared Uthoff, who had decided to transfer. Wisconsin eventually lifted the restrictions.

“What (coach Bo Ryan) was saying with too many kids transferring is kids should have some obligation, too, Izzo said. There’s too many middlemen getting in the way of all this stuff, so that part he was right on. But I’ve never held a kid back. If the kid doesn’t want to be there, I don’t want him there.”

Izzo also took on the issue of transfers in March, tying it to the sadness he felt when his 11-year-old son asked if Washington Wizards guard John Wall might be traded in order to get to a better team. Izzo said the cause of that way of thinking is a society that “has screwed the world.”

“Then you wonder if some kid is upset because he hasn’t played, is he going to transfer?” Izzo said. “If I got one kid who is upset about his minutes and he transfers, I’m fine with it. I’m perfect with it, because he’s not going to win, OK? If it’s my kid and you’re seeing him in three years playing in junior high broom ball or something and he wants to transfer, you grab him by the back of the throat and tell that little SOB that, ‘You know what, that’s not the way it works.’ Just because we’ve got some role models doing it, that’s not the way it is.

“Why shouldn’t these guys think like they think? Half of these kids we’ve recruited have been to three different high schools. Not satisfied here, move there. We’ve caused some of that. You’ve caused some of that, and so do we. So I’m taking the blame too.”

Izzo Is Against Graduate Transfer Rule

MLive.com, Diamond Leung

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2012/05/michigan_state_coach_tom_izzo_22.html

GRAND RAPIDS — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo might have benefited from the graduate transfer rule that enabled guard Brandon Wood to play his senior season without sitting out a year and help the Spartans win a Big Ten championship. But Izzo has also come out against the rule that enables players who graduate with eligibility remaining to seek waivers to transfer to another school and be able to play by enrolling in a graduate program not offered at the former school. Izzo said last week after attending the National Association of Basketball Coaches meetings in Indianapolis that as the NCAA examines the issue, he hoped the loophole would be closed. “I don’t like that rule, Izzo said. I’m worried that for every one that there’s really something for it, I’m worried that we’re going to start recruiting people off people’s campuses. “The more success Wisconsin has in football, now they have another quarterback from Maryland (Danny O’Brien). Is that going to start happening? That’s what worries me, and that wouldn’t be good for us or for the profession to be honest with you.” O’Brien signed with the Badgers in March and is eligible to play in the fall, using the graduate transfer rule that allowed quarterback Russell Wilson to play at Wisconsin last season without sitting out a year and lead the program to the Rose Bowl after a win in the Big Ten championship game against Michigan State. Izzo, who started Wood and saw him average 8.8 points, does not support the transfer culture in college sports. “I don’t think it’s bad that kids transfer, Izzo said. I think too many people are making bad decisions. You know, Jud Heathcote used to say when I was here way back when I first started (as an assistant), ‘Every freshman wants to transfer.’ Because none of them get what they got in high school — 40 points and this and that. Morris Peterson I always get back to. I think he wanted to transfer. Now he’s made (millions in the NBA) and has got his jersey hanging (at Breslin Center). You’ve just got to have some patience. I think too many people don’t want to have patience in this day and age. I feel sorry for the kids more than the coaches.” Izzo also took note of the controversy created when Wisconsin originally denied a request for four schools to contact freshman Jared Uthoff, who had decided to transfer. Wisconsin eventually lifted the restrictions. “What (coach Bo Ryan) was saying with too many kids transferring is kids should have some obligation, too, Izzo said. There’s too many middlemen getting in the way of all this stuff, so that part he was right on. But I’ve never held a kid back. If the kid doesn’t want to be there, I don’t want him there.” Izzo also took on the issue of transfers in March, tying it to the sadness he felt when his 11-year-old son asked if Washington Wizards guard John Wall might be traded in order to get to a better team. Izzo said the cause of that way of thinking is a society that “has screwed the world.” “Then you wonder if some kid is upset because he hasn’t played, is he going to transfer?” Izzo said. “If I got one kid who is upset about his minutes and he transfers, I’m fine with it. I’m perfect with it, because he’s not going to win, OK? If it’s my kid and you’re seeing him in three years playing in junior high broom ball or something and he wants to transfer, you grab him by the back of the throat and tell that little SOB that, ‘You know what, that’s not the way it works.’ Just because we’ve got some role models doing it, that’s not the way it is. “Why shouldn’t these guys think like they think? Half of these kids we’ve recruited have been to three different high schools. Not satisfied here, move there. We’ve caused some of that. You’ve caused some of that, and so do we. So I’m taking the blame too.”