At 35, Draymond Green has everything he needs except the childhood he once had. Surely, “College is the best time of your life,” and it is the same reason Draymond Green holds a special place in his heart for Michigan State. The 4 years he spent with the Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team laid the foundation for what continues to be a successful NBA career, even today earning 4 rings and a DPOY. However, the Warriors star’s tenure might not have been as well if he didn’t have a coach like Tom Izzo. The player knows this and wasn’t afraid to mention it out loud.
Draymond Green took to his official Instagram account a few hours ago to share a story with his 4.1 million followers. A frame that highlighted Green, 37-year-old Raymar Morgan, 27YO Cassius Winston, 22YO Jaden Akins, and the 16-year-old teenager Mateen Cleaves Jr. posing for a photo together. Four of them are alumni of Michigan State, whereas Cleaves Jr. is the son of Mateen Cleaves, who led Michigan State to an NCAA championship win in 2000, and had his number retired by the Spartans. The thing that all five players have in common is that they were all trained under Tom Izzo, who has been the Michigan State Spartans’ head coach since 1995! But what hit deep was Green’s caption.
The caption of the IG post by @msucontent, which highlighted the names of the athletes, ended with a note that read, “Yeah, Tom Izzo has built the best culture in CBB”. Draymond Green, after highlighting the post on his IG story, added his own caption that read, “One day they’ll understand! WE LOVE THIS SPARTAN DAWG S—!”. Tom Izzo is certainly one individual who deserves all the praise that comes his way. The 70-year-old has been the head coach of the Michigan State men’s basketball team for the past 30 years, earning several accolades that still stand tall.
During that period, the Spartans won the NCAA Division I tournament back in 2000, made the NCAA Division I regional Final Four 8 times, and made it to the Big Ten tournament on several occasions. Izzo even boasts a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in which he was inducted back in 2016. Therefore, when Green sends a bold message in support of him, you can believe it to be a worthy one.
As Draymond Green himself once highlighted, the relationship between him and Tom Izzo wasn’t always a good one. After all, the head coach was demanding, and reportedly criticized the player for being overweight and not working hard enough. However, with time, Green understood that Izzo’s motivations were pure. He was confident enough to believe that “when you realize someone wants you to be successful even more than you want to be successful, it’s a shocker. When you do comprehend it, it builds a love and a bond that’s unbreakable. And that’s where we are.”
The bond between the duo lived on even after Green made a name within the Warriors franchise. Izzo was the one the NBA star used to talk to the most during his rough 2016 summer. The coach used to criticize Green, but then added something touchy like, “I’ve got your back and I’ll do anything I can to help you. You need me to fly to California, I’ll be there. But you’re a (bleeping) idiot.”
Despite all the ‘grief’ that Izzo might have put Green through in the quest to motivate him, it is nice that the NBA star still holds his college coach in high regard. The social media post highlighted just a small percentage of players Izzo worked on, making them great. If all goes well, he might have the chance to do it with another star player, too!
Draymond Green’s College Team On Track To Acquire 4-Star Jalyn Collingwood
With the 2025 NCAA Season set to begin in November, now is the time for college basketball teams to start recruiting new players. Over the last few weeks, the colleges have been working actively to appeal to prospective players, with the race being tight in some instances. Despite the competition, however, Michigan State has managed to get the edge with one major prospect.
According to a recent update from @247Sports’ National Basketball Recruiting Analyst Dushawn London, Sidwell Friends School star Jalyn Collingwood has shortlisted his choice of college to 7 schools, one being Michigan State. The other schools on the list are Mississippi State, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Butler, and Maryland. This is good news for Tom Izzo’s team, as Collingwood now becomes the 3rd prospect who has included the Spartans on their list. The other two are five-star center Ethan Taylor, one of the top centers in the class of 2026, and four-star forward Quinn Costello.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, Collingwood has been ranked by 247 Sports as the second-best player in Washington, DC, the No. 49 small forward, and the No. 150 player in the country. The young star has already made plans to visit 5 of the schools on his list, and will be heading to Michigan State on October 3rd. With a recruiting rating of 91.01, he will certainly be a top target for Tom Izzo and co. But this isn’t the only takeaway. They are also targeting five-star forward Anthony Thompson, and other four-star forwards like Maximo Adams, Bryson Howard, Jayden Hodge, Quinn Costello, and Julius Avent.
As of now, not many details have been revealed about the offer made to Collingwood by Michigan State. However, it was appealing enough to get the team shortlisted. Plus, being the school that trained Draymond Green, it carries a reputation that would be appealing to any aspiring player. Whether Tom Izzo and co succeed in their endeavor to get the player is something that remains to be seen.
The post Draymond Green Pens Bold Message After Michigan State Basketball Makes Cut for Rising 4-Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.
