Tom Izzo Helping Former Player Find Another College Spot

Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is among the best college basketball coaches in NCAA history. But he is reportedly doing something that many coaches wouldn’t do, even though they would like you to believe they would.

While most coaches will say that a player is part of their “family” forever once they join their program, Izzo is walking the talk. Izzo recently appeared on Tim Staudt’s Radio Show and talked about helping senior center Mady Sissoko find another landing spot.

Tom Izzo Helping Former Player Find Another College Spot

Who Is Mady Sissoko?

Sissoko landed in East Lansing via Mali as a top 40 player in the class of 2020. Despite not meeting expectations, the 6-9 250-pound teammate was a good teammate, left in good standing, and seemingly loved every second of his time with the Spartans, according to Connor Muldowney of Spartan Shadow.

Despite his fondness for Michigan State, Muldowney believes Sissoko entered the transfer on April 4 based on his conversation with Izzo following the season. Muldowney said that Izzo likely told Sissoko “that there may not be a ton of playing time for him if he returned.” Hence, Izzo is helping him find a comfortable landing spot. 

“I came to Michigan State four years ago and found a home in East Lansing, “Sissoko said in his goodbye message. “The experiences I’ve had here have been some of the best of my life. I wanted to find a place where I could get an education and a community that welcomed me, and Michigan State did not disappoint. On the court, I wanted to be challenged and to get a chance to play at the highest level of college basketball. I’ve been able to do that for four years in front of Spartan Nation, the best fans in the country.”

“I came to Michigan State because of Coach Izzo. It was an honor to play for him, and I want to thank him for everything he has done for me, on and off the court.”

Sissoko has one year of eligibility left. San Diego State, Cal, Colorado, and Washington are the schools Izzo has lined up for Sissoko.

Since Sissoko is an international student and isn’t eligible to personally benefit from NIL, he uses these monies to build a school in his home village and provide running water.

Sissoko’s Game/Scouting Report

Sissoko is an athletic, big-bodied center who plays with an excessive amount of energy, which he uses to crash the boards consistently. He is long, with a 7-3 wingspan and a solid shot-blocker. While very limited offensively, Sissoko has outstanding footwork that dates back to his youth soccer days.

After being an end-of-the-rotation player for the first two years at Michigan State, Sissoko started 59 of his 64 appearances over the last two seasons. However, Sissoko saw his minutes decline this past season by about six per game.

Sissako averaged 3.3 points and 5.1 rebounds (1.5 offensive) while shooting 56.8% from the field in about 16 minutes a game this past season. He also produced one double-double and reached double-digit rebounds five times.