Sports Michigan Scream men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo surpassed Bob Knight’s Huge Ten document for wins on Saturday night, leading the 11th-ranked Spartans to a seventy 9-65 victory over Illinois. Fittingly, Izzo’s first Huge Ten fetch, which came in January 1996, used to be over Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers.
FOX Sports college basketball analyst Bill Raftery has been a end pal of Izzo since his days as an assistant coach below Jud Heathcote. He has called a limitless dedication of Michigan Scream men’s basketball video games through the years and made it a demonstrate congratulate his pal on passing Knight’s document.
Here is a deepest congratulatory letter Raftery penned to Izzo:
Expensive Tom,
Congratulations on passing Bob Knight as the winningest coach in Huge Ten basketball ancient past. I am thinking of the entire great coaches in this sport, of which you certainly are.
All of us who know you and what you mean to the great recreation of basketball are so tickled with what you’ve finished. Breaking this document (Huge Ten fetch No. 354) is one thing that I don’t focus on chances are high you’ll perhaps include ever imagined must you started as an assistant coach at Michigan Scream below Jud Heathcote.
On this day, I focus on lend a hand to must you took over the head coaching job at Michigan Scream. You had been hungry, you had been ambitious, and you had been relentless. Jud and I would possibly well perhaps perhaps be laughing, having relaxing, presumably taking part in a pair of beers, and you had been all industry, in the battle room, breaking down film. You asked us to listen (and sure, we supplied you two of these beers), but it became so clear how committed you had been to the recreation of basketball. It used to be at that moment that I knew chances are high you’ll perhaps assemble head coach in this sport for years yet to achieve lend a hand.
I’ll by no procedure neglect when your Spartans had been taking part in Iowa Scream for the factual to pass to the Final Four. Iowa Scream coach Larry Eustachy used to be thrown out of that recreation after receiving a double technical horrible. He used to be inflamed, but you went up to him, and you talked him into leaving the court docket. Most coaches wouldn’t include listened, but Larry had sufficient respect for you that he listened to you.
As effectively as to the honor every coach across the country has for you, the factor that jumps out to me about you, that has repeatedly made you special, is your simplicity and humility. There’s no such thing as the next evidence of that than earlier this season, must you took your crew up to your alma mater, Northern Michigan, for an exhibition recreation. The like and affection you will include got for that college, and the of us all for making that happen, your extinct teammates, the like they’d for you used to be procedure above the norm. Seeing that used to be emotionally inviting for myself and every person who used to be there.
You’re coach, but you’re also a lawful pal. Now we include shared soft moments collectively, we include shared difficulties and we include shared successes. Nevertheless must you dangle have confidence in somebody, fancy we include, there’s a consolation zone there.
I need you to know that you just will include got in truth been a blessing to the recreation, Tom.
Congratulations.
– Bill
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