Reusse: Tom Izzo enters 30th Big Ten opener as a head coach filled with memories at The Barn

Jim Dutcher’s incredibly talented Gophers had opened the 1976-77 basketball season by scoring 101 and 104 points in nonconference victories over North Dakota State and Detroit Mercy. The third overmatched victim to visit Williams Arena was Northern Michigan.

Tom Izzo was a 5-9 guard and senior captain for the Wildcats. And he remembered this Tuesday:

“No shot clock, and we held the ball for the last four minutes so Minnesota wouldn’t get 100.”

The final was 96-50 — victory No. 3 on the way to a 24-3 season that the record book ignores but well-aged Gophers followers do not.

“They had some players on that team — Mychal Thompson, Kevin McHale, Ray Williams, Flip [Saunders],” Izzo said. “They had another 6-10 guy who played a lot?

“Winey. Yeah, Dave Winey.”

Izzo stayed at Northern Michigan and started a coaching career as an assistant. In 1983, he was hired as a part-time assistant for Jud Heathcote at Michigan State, which brought Izzo back to Williams Arena.

With its elevated court. Which drove no one crazier than Izzo’s mentor, Heathcote.

“I used to have to push Jud up those steps,” Izzo said. “He couldn’t stand standing up there all alone. Finally someone put chairs up there for the head coaches.”

Izzo stayed with Heathcote for 11 seasons — and this is how he remembers the long wait to be in full charge of the Spartans.

“Those 11 years were great,” Izzo said. “Jud … he was my mentor, and he was the best.”

Izzo had been elevated to associate head coach by Heathcote in 1990. And when Jud retired in 1995 at 68, he already had the tracks well-greased for Izzo to be his replacement.

Heathcote’s judgment has been strongly validated. This is Izzo’s 30th season, and he opens the Big Ten schedule Wednesday night inside our now-familiar-for-him Barn against the Gophers with 16 conference titles — 10 in the regular season, six in the Big Ten tournament, and record numbers of conference wins.

This will be Izzo’s 24th game coaching on the elevated court. On the last visit, Feb. 6, 2024, the Gophers managed a 59-56 upset. That put Izzo’s record at 16-7 in Williams Arena.

“It’s so different there; I like playing in that old building,” Izzo said. “We’ve had battles in there with a few different coaches.”

Izzo paused and said: “And with Clem … we had wars.”

Clem Haskins coached the Gophers from 1986 to 1999. It was an era when the Big Ten was proud of its physical style — hard-nosed players, hard-edged coaches.

Haskins’ last season turned out to be 1998-99, when tutoring of athletes wasn’t quite the fine art it has now become and Clem was rung up on a charge of academic fraud.

The last Izzo-vs.-Haskins game was Feb. 13, 1999. There was an overflow attendance of 14,887. It was memorable — from the Spartans’ perspective. Mateen Cleaves drove for a layup with 1.2 seconds left to give MSU an 84-82 victory.

“I always liked Clem, liked competing with him,” Izzo said. “I have to call him. I haven’t done that yet.”

Izzo’s call will be to offer deep sympathies to Clem and Yevette Haskins for the recent death of their son, Brent, an NBA scout.

There are other victories to be remembered here in the Barn for Izzo. This one was otherworldly:

In 2004, the Spartans are down 23 in the first half. Paul Davis hits his head on the floor and gets woozy, MSU rallies to get into OT, and Davis makes two free throws to win it 79-78.

“I still don’t know what’s going on; I just know we won,” Davis said.

Two decades ago. Bit more cautious with banged heads these days.

Izzo has been to eight Final Fours, with Cleaves leading the Spartans to the 2000 title. Izzo will turn 70 in January, he feels “great” and is excited about this team, excited to keep going.

Competitive as a coach can get on a sideline, he also is a tremendous advocate for younger coaches.

Last February, after the loss at Williams Arena, he talked glowingly about Ben Johnson’s work as coach, and declared his Gophers to be potential favorites for the 2024-25 title in an 18-team Big Ten.

Then six important players left — mostly because of NIL prosperity.

“I got a soft spot for Ben Johnson,” Izzo said. “He’s trying to do it the right way, build it, and then those players leave. College sports, it’s almost ridiculous now, but talking about it doesn’t help.

“It is what it is.”

Big Ten opener. Izzo and the Spartans at Williams for the 24th time. Could be another Barn burner.