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WATCH: Tom Izzo explains why his son Steven has a spot on the MSU roster

Posted at 3:36 PM, Sep 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-25 22:22:20-04

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan State is once again in the upper tier of men's college basketball, and head coach Tom Izzo always has his family close to the program, but this year is different.

Izzo's son, Steven, is on the roster. It's a goal Izzo set for his son.

"As always, when you do something like that, in this wonderful world of Twitter, people attack it. That's not his fault, blame me. It's my fault," Izzo said.

I've given up 18 years of my life, and he's given up 18 years of his life. I don't plan on starting him against Kentucky. I don't plan on playing him against Kentucky. But having him around, learning how to be a good teammate, learning how to be a little more disciplined, learning the inner side of what his father went through for 18 years, is absolutely priceless.

If somebody had kids, they'd have a better understanding. And by the way, I pay for his scholarship. He's on the Izzo scholarship, not on the MSU scholarship."