Report: Tom Izzo Will Stay At Michigan State, Spurns Cavs Coaching Offer; Press Conference Scheduled For Tuesday Night

It appears that the Tom Izzo melodrama is drawing to a close. According to a report from WDIV-TV in Detroit, Izzo has scheduled a press conference Tuesday night at 8PM ET to announce that he will remain at Michigan State, and turn down the overtures from the Cavs to become their next head coach. Cavs beat man Brian Windhorst corroborates this account, confirming that the Cavs are continuing their coaching search, indicating that Izzo’s announcement will be that he is passing on the job.

The news that Izzo will resist the reported riches the Cavs were apparently willing to offer him comes as something of a surprise given his own rather open flirtations with the team, and the seeming signals that he was on the verge of leaving Michigan State. Indeed, after visiting the Cavs’ facilities last week, stories from “confidants” close to Izzo kept insisting that he was “leaning towards“ leaving, in part because he was ”sick of recruiting” in college. Izzo’s own refusal to quell these rumors the past few days only fueled the speculation that it was but a matter of time until he left for Cleveland. This scuttlebutt continued up till even a few hours ago, with reports surfacing that Izzo was taking his time deliberating because he wasn’t sure if this would be his last opportunity to possibly make the jump to the NBA.

Still, with the uncertainty around a certain LeBron’s free agency swirling around the Cavs franchise, it was no sure thing that Cleveland was even a desirable job for a high-profile coach like Izzo. LeBron and his people sent out mixed signals about whether the putative Chosen One would embrace a career college coach like Izzo, and it seems unlikely that Izzo ever would have left Michigan State without some kind of assurance that he wouldn’t be stuck with a Mo Williams-Antawn Jamison wasteland of a team, bereft of James’ otherworldly talents.

Izzo will return to lead a ridiculously loaded Michigan State team, fresh off consecutive Final Fours that will welcome back a healthy Kalin Lucas, as well as a top incoming recruiting class. The Spartans figure to be a top-two preseason team, along with co-favorites Duke.

As for the Cavs, it seems that they might turn back to Byron Scott, who the team interviewed last week, as well as considering new candidates, as they try to find a coach suitable for LeBron.

For more on Michigan State and the Cavs, check out The Only Colors and Fear The Sword.