Michigan State’s two exhibition losses to UConn and Marquette didn’t just expose issues on the court. They also revealed something Tom Izzo can’t afford to shrug off: his team is not talking enough.
After getting a chance to study the tape and sit with what he saw last week, Izzo told the media on Thursday that communication has become a real issue for the Spartans. The problem, in his words, is hard to miss. “communication is really a problem” right now with some of his players.
“I've never had so many quiet guys,” and points to Kaleb Glenn as being one of the quietist. Learning on the fly during exhibition games after missing last season with injury.
That’s a jarring place for a team that, at least on paper, has no shortage of voices. Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Jordan Scott, Kaleb Glenn and Cam Ward all look like players who should be setting the tone. Instead, Michigan State has gone through two exhibitions without the kind of floor leadership Izzo wants to see.
Glenn’s case stands out because he’s not a newcomer trying to find his way. He’s already been around the program for a season, knows the group, and should be one of the more settled players on the roster.
That’s why Izzo’s comment lands so heavily. Quiet is one thing for a rookie.
It’s another when a veteran is still easing into the conversation.
And with the season about to start, this isn’t the kind of issue that gets brushed aside. A team that doesn’t communicate usually pays for it in the ugliest way possible: disconnected possessions, sluggish stretches, and losses that never feel fully alive.
The next stretch won’t offer much room to grow into the job slowly, either. Michigan State is staring at Duke, Arkansas, Tennessee and Gonzaga over the next 1.5 months, and Izzo needs the Spartans talking before those games arrive.
That’s where Fears comes in.
Izzo has long made it clear that he wants a team led by its players, and Fears is the kind of guard who naturally fits that vision. He’s vocal, demanding, and capable of pushing teammates in the way a head coach wants from his point guard.
Still, Izzo’s message Thursday made it clear that one voice isn’t enough. Fears can’t carry the whole communication load by himself.
The Spartan guard hasn’t been perfect to open the year, but this feels like a defining moment for him anyway. Izzo wants more than talent and flashes. He wants someone who can keep the group organized when things start to wobble.
So now the pressure shifts to Fears and Carr to get everyone speaking the same language. Izzo wants a player-led team, but that only works if the leaders actually lead. For Fears, this is the moment to show whether the Mateen comparison really fits.
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