Michigan State’s culture can be partly attributed to ‘continuity’

While the Michigan State men’s basketball program has seemingly lost its charm in recent seasons, that Spartan culture will never change.

That became clear when former Michigan State wide receiver and basketball guard Keon Coleman returned for Senior Night last year despite transferring to Florida State for his final college season.

“(When he (Coleman) called and said he was coming, I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,'” Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo told WIVB News 4’s Josh Reed. “Because that took courage. Are people going to be mad at him? Well, Tom Izzo wouldn’t be. Because I understood the situation. But are people going to be mad at him? But he was right up front, he was on the table when those guys were introduced, he was wearing Steven (Izzo’s) jersey. That wasn’t just for show. I mean, that’s who he is.”

Izzo attributed that “once a Spartan, always a Spartan” mentality in part to his program’s consistency in coaching.

“I do think — and this isn’t a recruiting pitch — but I do think we’ve developed something special here, and part of that is having three basketball coaches in 60 years,” Izzo said. “So there’s continuity from the Magic (Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson) era to the era before Magic and the era after. And that always helps. But even in football here, we had a guy named George Perles … and George always believed in bringing guys back.”

Senior Night has always been a special night, not only for the graduating seniors, but also for the alumni, as many return to honor their home states. For a player like Coleman to return after having already transferred — and at the time preparing for his next chapter in the NFL — spoke volumes about the impact Michigan State can have on its alumni.

Coleman would later be selected by the Buffalo Bills in this year’s NBA Draft. He played two seasons of football and one season of basketball while at Michigan State.

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