MSU's Tom Izzo, Mel Tucker surprise Henry Ford doctor Scott Kaatz on video May 15, 2020. Kaatz survived a close call with coronavirus. Detroit Free Press
Big Ten basketball coaches know Michigan State’s success isn’t all about Tom Izzo, even if he is a Naismith Hall of Famer.
A survey of at least 20 league coaches by Stadium.com ranked Izzo’s longtime lieutenants Dwayne Stephens and Dane Fife as two of the top three assistants in the conference.
Stephens, a former MSU player from 1989-93, was rated as the top assistant in the polling, which was done by college basketball writer Jeff Goodman.