Having a True Identity is Not Top Priority for Michigan State Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans have started the Big Ten season with a 3-0 record, with only Illinois matching that record in conference play.

This is the third time during the Tom Izzo era that the Spartans have started conference play with three consecutive victories, with the other times being in 2000 and 2009.

In case you were wondering, the Spartans made the national championship game in both of those seasons (and won in 2000).

But coach Izzo had an interesting anecdote to add following Michigan State’s scrappy home victory against Wisconsin last week: that his team doesn’t really have an identity.

Usually, not having a team identity or philosophy three games into conference play is a bad sign for a program trying to reach the ultimate goal of a championship. The Spartans, though, are not the typical basketball team.

Izzo has churned out success year in and year out in East Lansing, reaching five Final Fours and two title games since he has taken over for Hall of Famer Jud Heathcote.

He has coached star athletes like Jason Richardson, Zach Randolph, and Shannon Brown. He is a teacher of the game.

Many current MSU starters have been on the team for two to three years now, including starters like Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen, and Durrell Summers.

And as I recall, the team last season didn’t have a tried and true identity. They crashed the boards and played aggressive defensive, two qualities seen on any Izzo squad.

Maybe not having a true team identity can be a good thing as well. It allows plenty of room for improvement and more time to really focus on what works with the team’s specific personnel.

Plus, if the team is winning and currently atop the always competitive Big Ten conference, why fix something if it isn’t broken?

Michigan State has always been a steady regular season team, but the true grittiness of the basketball program is seen in March. Izzo coaches to get to Final Fours and to win championships.

Although the end result was not what he and his players anticipated, it made them a stronger team in the end and revealed flaws which needed to be addressed in the offseason.

The only thing that matters when it’s all said and done is winning. The Spartans are winning without a definite identity, but imagine what they will do when they actually figure it out.