EAST LANSING – Something happened at end of the Michigan State basketball media day that was so unusual, so dang cool, so revealing, that I have to tell you about it.
“Students, no questions?” MSU coach Tom Izzo asked after answering typical media questions for more than an hour on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Breslin Center – yes, he likes his team; yes, it’s deep; yes, they have a brutal schedule; yes, they have a ton of work to do before anybody starts talking seriously about MSU's chances of making a run for the 2027 NCAA Tournament Final Four at Ford Field in April.
Izzo looked at a large group of MSU student journalists to the side of the room. “What the hell's going on here?” Izzo asked, taunting them to ask a question.
So, Elliott Hammon, a 20-year-old
MSU journalism student from Frankfort, shot his arm into the air. He was waiting for this moment, hoping for it. But now, he was overcome with nerves and adrenaline. Would he be able to get the words out? Would he convey everything he was feeling? All his appreciation and admiration for Izzo? Not to mention his curiosity about something? This was his one shot to address the coach who meant so much to him from afar.
Hammon could feel his heart thump in his chest: “Boom! Boom! Boom!”
“Coach Izzo, my name's Elliott,” Hammon said into the microphone. “Four and a half years ago, I was going through some of my hardest times in my life, and you, as well as other Michigan State legends, sent me a video of support, encouragement, and hope.”
Two weeks after his 16th birthday, Hammon had surgery to remove a noncancerous brain tumor. During those dark, frightening days, he got videos of support and texts from several MSU legends, like Izzo, former Spartans great Mateen Cleaves, NFL quarterback Kirk Cousins and Suzy Merchant, the now-retired MSU women’s basketball coach.
“When people tell you that you mean so much to them, what goes through your head?” Hammon asked. “I know that you've heard that so many times from so many different people, but how does that impact you?”
Before we get to his answer, I want to point out something else.
Izzo's true legacy
Sometimes, we don’t appreciate something until it’s gone.
So today, I want to shed a different light on this legendary Hall of Fame coach, who is so much more than a coach.
Earlier this summer, Izzo was at a golf outing that raised money for the Kirk Gibson Center for Parkinson’s Wellness. Not because Izzo had to. But because he wanted to.
Last weekend, he visited the student section at the MSU football game. Why? Because he has such a strong belief in MSU head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Because Izzo knows that a filled, crazed student section can turn losses into wins.
"Fitz is a fit," Izzo said at his presser Thursday. “[I] totally think we're headed in the right direction, and that's why I went into the student section. I really believe that fans make a difference.”
And Izzo is the guy who makes videos for sick kids, even though, most of the time, we never hear about it. But this time, I had to see it. So, Hammon sent me the video – of course, he still has it in his phone.
“I know you're going through a tough time,” Izzo said on the video to a child he had yet to meet. “I also know your brother's a Spartan, and someday you're going to be a Spartan. But I think you have Spartan pride and Spartan toughness, so we're going to rely on that to get you through this surgery and get you back to, hopefully someday,a game. We tell our players all the time that you’ve got to be mentally and physically tough, but you also got to have some confidence and some pride in what you're accomplishing. For you, you're going to be our role model.
"We're all going to be looking up to you to see how you come through this, and I know you're going to come through it in flying colors. So be positive. We'll be thinking about you. Be praying for you. Be smart and tough. See you, Elliot. Look forward to talking to you soon.”
That video meant the everything to Hammon. Not to mention all the other videos and text messages.
“It was fantastic, too, that in the deepest, darkest times of my life, that there are other people that have never met me, never knew my name before a minute ago, and are now sending me videos and texts of support and prayers," Hammon said. "It was things I thought of right after surgery.”
Now, Hammon said, he is healthy although he still lives with some side effects of the surgery and treatments. MRI results show the tumor has not grown. In fact, there has been some decrease in size.
But when he’s having a bad day – when he’s struggling with something – he will go back and watch the videos.
Izzo becomes emotional
OK, so let’s get back to Hammon’s question. How did Izzo answer it?
First of all, it was so unusual that it seemed to caught Izzo completely off guard and he paused, searching for the answer. Hammon noticed that pause, the first time Izzo slowed in the entire press conference. And that meant the world to Hammon.
“It's better than winning,” Izzo said, his voice heavy with emotion. “What people think of you, how you can inspire people, whether it be your players, whether it be the student section, whether it be the donors or alums, and that's why I'm here. Some people jump around and go to different jobs. I want to be the part of the fabric of this place. I want to be part of a guy that people can come to, and so it's a privilege.”
Izzo looked at Hammon. “If that visit or that phone call or that tape helped you,” Izzo said, pausing and tapping his chest, “that's awesome. Thank you.”
After the presser, Izzo made a point to shake Hammon’s hand.
“It was so truthful and heartfelt,” Hammon said of Izzo’s response. “I couldn't believe how personal his answer was. It was amazing.”
And it shed a different perspective on Izzo, on what he’s built at MSU: Not just racking up wins and Final Fours, but becoming part of the fabric of this school, trying to use his power and influence and – yes – even his ability to inspire and encourage everybody. Players. Students. Alumni. Other teams and coaches. And even a sick kid who would get healthy and become a journalism student, one who had the guts to ask his question.
That student ended up smiling and shaking his head, unable to remember everything that had just happened, unable to catch his breath, really: “Surreal!”
Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.
Next up: Huskies
Matchup: Michigan State (27-8 in 2025-26) vs. UConn (34-6 in 2025-26); exhibition.
Tipoff: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20; Breslin Center, East Lansing.
TV/radio: No TV; WJR-AM (760).
Streaming: B1G+.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How a student journalist got MSU coach Tom Izzo to fill with emotion
