Longtime friends square off Saturday

The two coaches share more than just a first name and a profession.

Simply put, Tom Crean and Tom Izzo are the closest of friends.

Which is why neither is looking forward to Saturday’s matchup against one another when the Hoosiers (6-15, 1-8), coming off their first win in weeks, travel north to play conference leader No. 14 Michigan State (18-4, 8-2) in East Lansing, Mich.

The two have known each other since both were assistants on former Michigan State coach Jud Heathcoate’s staff nearly 20 years ago.

Years later, Crean worked as an assistant and associate head coach under Izzo after he became the Spartans’ headman in 1994.

Each of the four years Crean and Izzo worked together, the Spartans improved.
Their last two seasons together, Michigan State won the Big Ten regular season championship, and in 1999 the Spartans reached the Final Four.

But the two Toms eventually split. Crean, recognized as one of the top assistants in the game, landed the Marquette head coaching position after the Final Four appearance. However, Crean and Izzo have remained close.

Outside of the rare opportunity to see each other in person, the two are not looking forward to sharing a sideline Saturday.

“I’ve always said it’s never fun to play your good friends,” Izzo said.

Crean said he feels lucky to have a close friend like Izzo and said the two’s relationship transcends coaching and competing in the same league.

“He’s usually one of the first people I hear from after a game,” Crean said Monday in his weekly teleconference. “He’s been incredibly supportive. We still talk about everything and compare notes. That will never change.”

Saturday won’t be the first time the two friends have had to coach against one another. In 2007, Michigan State and Marquette played each other in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Prior to the showdown, Crean revealed the two had an agreement never to schedule a game against each other, adding they’ve “dodged this bullet so many years.”

But the friends had no choice. The two coaches who usually exchange phone calls throughout the week were forced to plan against one another and scout each other’s weaknesses.

Izzo described it as a “very difficult prep week.”

Just like how Crean feels when he watches Marquette play, IU’s first-year head coach said he always wants to see Michigan State and his friend succeed – except, of course, when he has to play them.

In that game two years ago Izzo’s team got the best of Crean’s, beating the Golden Eagles 61-49.

Now, almost two years later, Crean will look to even the score even though he’s at a disadvantage.

As much as he’d like to call Saturday’s game a rivalry, Crean admitted his team is “a ways away from being in a chess match with (them).”

“I’d love to see it get to that point, believe me, but we just have to go in there and figure something out that allows us to compete in the game,” he said.

The Spartans suffered upset losses at home to Northwestern on Jan. 21 and Penn State on Feb. 1, but rebounded Wednesday night to slaughter No. 19 Minnesota in East Lansing, 76-47.

The Hoosiers, meanwhile, just snapped an 11-game losing streak and are coming off one of their biggest victories of the year.

Crean said Wednesday night was a preview of how future teams will look and play at IU.

But on Saturday, Crean will bring his current team to play against Izzo’s. It will be Crean’s first time coaching in the Breslin Center since he left in 1999, and he acknowledged it will be a “different feeling” going against his old pal.

Izzo echoed his friend’s sentiments, explaining “it’s never easy” to play against a coach who used to be on your staff and maybe more importantly, a friend.

“I guess once it’s over, it’s over,” Izzo said. “I think both of us understand the jobs we have and what we have to do.”