Fact: Old Guys Like Yelling At Young Guys
With Tom Izzo caught on camera berating Aaron Henry during Michigan State’s first round victory against the Bradley Braves, coaching tactics have been placed under the Twitter microscope over the past few hours.
Really?! We’re just getting around to this now? College coaches have been acting out and looking foolish on the sidelines since the day James Naismith nailed the peach basket to the balcony. Tom Izzo’s not exactly new to the blow-up game, either.
However, coaching with a temperament often gets a pass as long as there’s success to show in March. With many coming to the defense and choosing to carry Izzo’s water, including our own Harrison Sillings, I’m frankly disturbed with the actions that took place on the Spartan sideline.
Hey coach, you look like an ass.
Redder than a tomato fresh off the vine, hotter than a skillet on the stove. It’s just a bad look. You’re going after a kid for a gaffe, not once, but twice, including in the huddle, taking a Jerry Orbach-like lunge in the end of Dirty Dancing when Johnny shows up and takes Baby on stage.
Some Context…
Freshman Aaron Henry’s defensive gaffes allowed for Bradley to remain close, even in the lead at points. Izzo boiled over, unleashing his frustrations for the while world to see.
At least he apologized…
Nope! Instead doubled down: “I did get after him. He did respond, he did make a couple of big buckets, he did make some big free throws, but that’s not good enough. It’s one-and-done time. The ‘my-bads’ are out the window”
Thank Goodness We Have Phil
Look, I get it. “Players love playing for Tom Izzo!” Yeah, I’d love making the Final Four every three years. That’s not the point. The weirdest, yet worst part of the whole ordeal is the immediate aid from broadcasters, analysts and Twitter users alike, rushing to Izzo’s side. When college coaches act out and show up a player in front of everybody, stop carrying their water and instead call out their lunacy.
Don’t do this:
Society growing sensitive as a whole is a conversation for another day, but have we entertained the thought that basketball and sports have changed since our parents were brought up, and maybe coaching tactics and styles should adapt to the changing game? You’d think Jim Boylen’s approval rating would be through the roof with all the hard-nosed, old style coaching Stans on Twitter.
But at some point, it’s not “classic competitor” (Insert Coach Name Here) anymore. Accept that lines can be crossed and this seems as good of a chance to point that out. Fran McCaffrey chased down referees and cursed them out, leading to a minor suspension earlier this month. While Iowa fans largely came to their coach’s defense, McCaffrey was put on blast for a week under the national spotlight.
We had no issue accepting that screaming at an official was bad, however, we draw the line of drawing lines at yelling at a 19 year old college freshman for his performance playing basketball.
It seems as though the only broadcaster that hasn’t taken the coach’s side is everybody’s favorite color commentator and in-studio analyst Phil.
