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Izzo & Beilein Share Passion, Respect, On And Off Court

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)Michigan State faces Michigan, Sunday at 3:30p on CBS62.

Michigan coach John Beilein, shaking off the effects of anesthesia, looked at his phone for the first time a few days after having double-bypass heart surgery last summer.

As Beilein scrolled through hundreds of texts sent from well-wishers, he noticed Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was among the first to reach out.

 

NCAA Men's Final Four - Previews
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 30: Head coach John Beilein of the Michigan Wolverines looks on during practice before the 2018 Men's NCAA Final Four at the Alamodome on March 30, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

 

"He actually suggested, 'I'd like to come down and visit,'" Beilein recalled in an interview with The Associated Press. "I sort of quelled that right away. No, I'm not going to be doing visits for a long time. I appreciate it.

"But that was how our relationship is — much respect."

 

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame 2016 On Court Class Announcement
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 04: Tom Izzo poses on the court as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame 2016 Class is announced during a break in the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game between the Villanova Wildcats and the North Carolina Tar Heels at NRG Stadium on April 4, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

 

Izzo simply shrugged his shoulders, saying Beilein would've done the same thing if the roles were reversed.

"Back when he had his heart issues, the human side of me felt bad for him because I know he's a good guy who lives his life the right way," Izzo told the AP. "I couldn't believe when it happened."

Beilein and Izzo are friendly rivals whose highly ranked teams will play for the first time this season on Sunday at Crisler Arena with Big Ten title and NCAA Tournament seeding implications.

 

Michigan v Rutgers
PISCATAWAY, NJ - FEBRUARY 05: Head coach John Beilein of the Michigan Wolverines yells to the officials during the second half of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Rutgers Athletic Center on February 5, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Michigan defeated Rutgers 77-65. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

 

The seventh-ranked Wolverines (24-3, 13-3 Big Ten) will host the first of two scheduled games against the 10th-ranked Spartans (22-5, 13-3) before wrapping up the regular season March 9 at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

As much as Beilein and Izzo genuinely like and respect each other, that does not dampen the competition.

"I would be shocked if either side now doesn't want to beat the brains out of the other one," Izzo said. "But I would think it is in a very respectful manner."

 

Michigan State v Ohio State
COLUMBUS, OH - JANUARY 5: Head Coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans asks the referees for a foul against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half on January 5, 2019 at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Michigan State defeated Ohio State 86-77. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

 

Izzo has not always had a warm-and-fuzzy relationship with Michigan coaches during his 24-season run as head coach, following 12 years as Jud Heathcote's assistant. Izzo spent countless hours recruiting some players who ended up playing for the Wolverines, including Chris Webber, and felt as if he wasted his time in some cases because a federal investigation revealed the now-deceased Michigan booster Ed Martin gave Webber and other Wolverines more than $600,000 .

"There were some tough times there," Izzo said.

These days, though, Izzo and Beilein publicly say they don't worry about either program breaking NCAA recruiting rules, while federal prosecutors are in the midst of one of the biggest crackdowns on the corrupting role of money in college basketball.

Izzo's program was mentioned in a positive light during a federal trial that began in New York last fall surrounding the recruitment of high school star Brian Bowen Jr. Former sports agent Christian Dawkins pleaded not guilty to charges he plotted to pay Bowen's father in exchange for his son's promise to commit to Louisville. Dawkins' defense attorney Steve Haney said Michigan State was one of the only schools that would not have paid Bowen to attend, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

 

 

Michigan v Wisconsin
MADISON, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 19: Head coach John Beilein of the Michigan Wolverines argues a call with referee Lewis Garrison in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center on January 19, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

 

"It never crossed my mind at one time with either us or with Michigan State in any way," Beilein said. "We just don't operate that way. You don't have this level of success for all these years without a certain amount of integrity in your program. It will show up, it will eventually show up, if you're cutting corners."

The 64-year-old Izzo, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, won a national championship in 2000 and has coached in a Big Ten-record seven Final Fours. Michigan State's all-time winningest coach has a 596-230 record and won his eighth Big Ten regular-season title last season and will aim for his sixth conference tournament championship next month. Izzo will then lead the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament for a 22nd straight year, a streak that trails just two coaches: the late North Carolina coach Dean Smith and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.

 

Syracuse v Michigan State
DETROIT, MI - MARCH 18: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the first half against the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 18, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

 

The 66-year-old Beilein may also be enshrined someday with basketball's all-time greats in Springfield, Massachusetts. He led the Wolverines to the national championship game last season for the second time in six years. Beilein has won a school-record 272 games, two Big Ten regular season and two conference tournament championships. He has won more than 800 basketball games over 43 seasons, including his first job as the junior varsity coach near his hometown at Newfane High School in 1975, in a career that doesn't include ever being an assistant coach.

 

Michigan v Florida
ARLINGTON, TX - MARCH 31: Head coach John Beilein of the Michigan Wolverines cuts down the net after their 79 to 59 win over the Florida Gators during the South Regional Round Final of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Dallas Cowboys Stadium on March 31, 2013 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

 

Izzo grew up in Iron Mountain, Michigan, in the state's Upper Peninsula, and has had a front-row seat for the in-state series since he was a part-time assistant for Heathcote in 1983. Beilein is from Burt, New York, near the banks of Lake Erie, and is in his 12th season at Michigan.

"I always tell John, I hate Michigan because you got to," Izzo said. "He didn't understand that at first. I said, 'You haven't been here long enough.' I mean that with a little bit of laughter. I have great respect for the University of Michigan. I probably have even more respect for John Beilein."

Both coaches say they rarely compete for the same prospects, but they talk about their shared interests while they're recruiting in gyms from coast to coast.

 

Illinois v Michigan State
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a play during a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

 

"We're always at the same events," Izzo said. "When we're there, he talks about his cottage. I talk about mine. The place that neither one of us ever gets to be, but we kind of love. Talks about his new pontoon boat."

And, they laugh together.

 

Minnesota v Michigan
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 22: Head coach John Beilein of the Michigan Wolverines along with the coaching staff wore shirts commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. while playing the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Crisler Arena on January 22, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 59-57. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

 

Beilein shared a story from 2015 after Michigan State beat Michigan twice and went on to the Final Four, sending Beilein retreating to his home in northern Michigan to get away and relieve some stress. After a workout, he tried in vain to relax.

"As soon as I ended up putting on the TV, Tom was doing some boat commercial for somebody," Beilein recalled with a chuckle. "It was like the first face I saw. I told him the story, too. That's all I needed to see.

"When we talk, that's one of our connections. We love getting away with our families and sort of just being a dad and a husband — and a boater — and somebody who just likes to look at the water. It sort of takes you away from coaching."

© 2019 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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