Soon after missing out on Darius Adams, Michigan State basketball fans likely overreacted in a big way if you were on social media on Tuesday night.
Although I too had some critical sentiments, they were directed more at the young recruit’s choice than at Tom Izzo’s failure. This felt less like something NIL-related and more like Adams’ desire to be certain of a starting position. In what other way would you pick Buzz Williams over Izzo? Other than that, it is illogical.
It was similar to Romeo Weems picking DePaul over Michigan State because he believed the Blue Demons could get players to the NBA, even though that wasn’t the case. Adams passed up a head coach who turned a four-star recruit into a lottery pick this past season at his precise position in favor of one in Williams who hasn’t had a player taken since 2019. Make sense of that.
Adams probably picked Maryland because he was assured he would start, something Izzo would never promise without putting in the necessary effort.
And it’s alright. Adams will probably have the luxury of starting as soon as he enters college, which is appealing to elite recruiters. At Michigan State, he would have played significant minutes for a contender and the current Big Ten champion, but in his first year at a new program, he decided to go the other way with a head coach.
The move has caused some Michigan State supporters to lose their minds. They claim that Izzo lost his fastball, which he hasn’t, and that the 2025–26 season will be a nightmare, which is untrue.
These fans are calling the offseason a failure, and I’ve even heard the term “D-offseason” used, because a recruit who nobody anticipated would be back on the market three weeks ago chose to reopen his recruitment and didn’t choose Michigan State. That’s absolutely wild.
In addition to bringing in two very good 2025 recruits, Izzo went out and signed two impact transfers. Some fans have turned against him, even though he plans to add to the roster at least once more.
We’re going to call this guy washed up after he just won the Big Ten title by three games, brought in four good players from the 2025 class and the transfer portal, and brought back a team that included players like Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr, and Jeremy Fears Jr. Did we forget that he only became better after losing AJ Hoggard, Malik Hall, and Tyson Walker in the previous offseason?
People, the sky isn’t falling. Izzo has a backup plan and is skilled at what he does. Adams’ decommitment from UConn was not something he anticipated going into the offseason. Other choices are available.
