Michigan State Head Basketball Coach Tom Izzo made this statement while reflecting on his 2000 NCAA Championship season during an interview on ESPN. Izzo is a no nonsense coach who wants his teams to play a certain way. He is tough, but he is also smart because he understands that to overachieve a team must become player driven. In a one-and-done scenario a group of players who need constant direction from the coach is usually beaten by opposing players who have taken over their team.
Knowing when and how much to loosen the reins on a team is a skill that takes years for a coach to develop. Failure to develop this skill causes many careers to plateau. Bright, ambitious young men and women who seem to possess all of the tools for coaching greatness enjoy early success then suddenly hit a wall and wonder why. Their inability (or unwillingness) to let go derails their efforts to help good teams become great teams or to develop great teams into champions.
Tom Izzo's championship team was led by point guard Mateen Cleaves. By March of 2000,Cleaves and his teammates had survived months,in some cases years, of his demanding practices. Out of this cauldron came a team on a mission. The players were ready to take over. They were ready to fly under their own power and would not be denied. It was their team.........the ultimate coaching achievement!
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