This year’s senior night was a special one for Izos.
Michigan State University head coach Tom Izzo shared a heartwarming moment with his son Stephen on Wednesday during a special night honoring the men’s basketball team’s graduating seniors.
Tom and Stephen, both graduate students who played five seasons as walk-ons at Michigan State, spoke with Big Ten Network’s Andy Katz after the Spartans defeated Northwestern, 53-49. For a while, I could barely keep my feelings together.
“I’m so grateful he allowed me to be a walk-on five years ago,” Stephen said, fighting back emotion. “This was the biggest decision I’ve ever made. No matter how hard the elevator ride or how long the meeting is, it’s all worth it at the end of the day. I am very grateful for that.”
The 29-year head coach at Michigan State University was smiling but emotional as he held his son’s arm the entire time.
He also talked about how happy he was to spend extra time with his son over the past five years.
“I say to all the men and women who coach men’s sports or women’s sports, if you can bring your son or daughter with you, there’s nothing like it,” Izzo said. “We’ve all sacrificed a lot and a lot of coaches have sacrificed a lot more than me, but to have some of that back means the world to me.”
Another video of Stephen showed him walking to center court and kissing the court as the crowd cheered.
During his five years in East Lansing, Stephen appeared in 43 games, all off the bench, and averaged 1.2 minutes per game.
He scored his first collegiate point in a game against Rutgers earlier this year.
