Izzo Still Isn’t Satisfied at Center After Duke Win

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo met with the media Thursday ahead of the Spartans’ game against Northern Iowa, and even after beating Duke 79-73 two nights earlier he went right back to the same sore spot. In a video posted by SpartanMag, Izzo called the center position his team’s biggest weakness, then went through the rotation of Anton Bonke, Jesse McCulloch and Ethan Taylor one by one.

“Still our weakness is the center position. You know, Anton (Bonke) is probably doing more than we give him credit for. He’s averaging seven rebounds a game in 15 minutes of play, which is phenomenal. Did a better job on the ball screens,” Izzo said. “Jesse (McCulloch) is doing more and more. You know, he gives us the pick and pop ability. He’s doing more and more. But Ethan (Taylor) probably has the most overall length, size, athleticism, and talent, and we’re going to get it out of him, and it’s gonna take a little time.”

Advertisement

Tom Izzo Says Ethan Taylor Gets In His Own Way

Taylor is averaging 12 minutes off the bench in the Spartans’ first three games but has flashed solid play in the limited time. He is averaging 4.7 points and three rebounds a game while shooting 80% from the field. Against Duke, Taylor had five points in just eight minutes of action, limited by foul trouble. Izzo thinks the main thing holding him back is his own head.

“Ethan’s (Taylor) gonna be a really good player if he can get out of his own way right now. You know, he gets down on himself. He doesn’t get down on us. He gets down on himself, and yet makes some good plays,” Izzo said. “He’s got the quickness to be able to cover ball screens, he’s got the strength, he’s 255, he’s intelligent, he’s got all the things going for him except, I’d say, his biggest negative is he struggles on how to take coaching, but he also struggles on how to approach things himself.”

Not Every Player Is Held To The Same Standard

In the first week of games, the Spartans ran past Quinnipiac 96-59 and Toledo 91-61, and Izzo still was not satisfied. He said he was not happy with a lot of his players last week and went looking for individual conversations, telling forward Coen Carr to be more aggressive and pushing guard Jeremy Fears Jr. to play better rather than just well. Then he explained why the bar is not the same for everyone.

Advertisement

“Some guys have to be held to a higher standard than others. Some guys get paid more than others, so it works both ways,” Izzo said. “So everybody’s not treated quite equally, and we put a little more pressure on our key guys last week, meetings, practice, individual meetings, and I like the fact that they responded, just every one of them did.”

Jeremy Fears Jr. And Coen Carr Answered Against Duke

In the first two games of the season, Fears Jr. had seven turnovers and struggled to draw fouls, getting to the free throw line only 10 times. Against Duke he still had four turnovers, but he made up for it as a foul magnet, getting to the line 17 times and making 12. Carr played only 17 minutes and picked up two fouls, but he scored nine points on five shots.

Jordan Scott Was The Team’s Defensive Leader

Izzo also praised forward Jordan Scott, who carried the defense against Duke. Scott had six blocks, six of Michigan State’s eight on the night, and led the team with nine rebounds. He has struggled on offense so far, shooting 41.4% from the field and 26.7% from three, but he has made up for it with smart play. Izzo wants that kind of defense to keep showing up, and he said it is a matter of wanting it, not of talent.

Advertisement

“Too many people, the stat people, the analytics people, you know, they don’t go on those kind of plays, and those kind of plays win for you. Can you maintain that?” Izzo said. “It’s really more about your energy, your desire, your willing to do it. It’s a will thing, not a skill thing.”

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com