With the Tom Izzo rumors still fresh—and the interest from Oregon entirely unrequited, so far—it’s very, very early to guess whether Tom Izzo might leave East Lansing, Michigan. For now, he’s focused on Indianapolis and the Final Four.
Oregon Blog: Chasing Izzo Sends The Right Message
But since the rumors are out there and the pipe dream’s been floated, SB Nation’s Oregon blog, Addicted to Quack, responds with enthusiasm. Not for Izzo, necessarily, but for the athletic department’s ambition:
Unfortunately, I find the likelihood of Izzo leaving MSU to be almost nil (and Jay Jones at DSN agrees), but if there were any coach I could pick to come to Oregon, it would be Izzo. What I take from all this is that Oregon is going to throw the whole bank at a big coach that shows interest. If Izzo shows any interest, he would likely get the biggest contract offer in college basketball. I doubt this will lure him (he could get this offer from almost anywhere), but this definitely sends a message about the nature of this coaching search.
In other words, Oregon probably won’t get Izzo. But just by pursuing him, Oregon’s sending a pretty emphatic message about the importance of their basketball program. And if they’re looking for coaches with that kind of prestige—and willing to pay for it—chances are, they’ll lure someone with enough clout to make them instant players on a national scale.
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