- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,235,901
- Reaction score
- 59
East Lansing — Tom Izzo gave Mark Montgomery some deep advice Tuesday morning as the former Michigan State player and assistant prepares his University of Detroit Mercy squad for the Horizon League championship game.
“Hey Monty,” Izzo said. “Win the frickin’ game tonight.”
Montgomery, 55, was a four-year Spartan letterman from 1988 to 1992 and a captain when Izzo was an up-and-coming assistant for the late Jud Heathcote. And Montgomery also served as Izzo’s assistant coach from 2002 to 2011, before he took his first head coaching job at Northern Illinois, and then from 2021 to 2024 when he lost that job.
Now, Montgomery has taken Detroit-Mercy one win away from March Madness, an impressive feat considering the context. In 2024, Montgomery took over a program that had won a single game in 2023-24, improving the Titans’ record to 8-24 (4-16 Horizon League) in his first season and 17-14 (12-8) this year, led by point guard Orlando Lovejoy.
More: Legendary journey: Detroit duo, friends since 1st grade, has NCAAs in sight
Winning one more game — and getting to the Big Dance — would put Montgomery in elite company, his mentor says.
“It puts you in a different category,” said Izzo, who beat his pupil 84-56 in a game at Breslin Center on Nov. 21. “There’s coaches that go a lifetime and never get there. And I mean damn good coaches.”
If his old boss is one source of support, Montgomery has gotten another in the postseason: Dwayne Stephens, his friend and former MSU teammate who is also another Izzo assistant from 2003 to 2022. Stephens recently was fired by Western Michigan after four years leading the Broncos.
All that means is he has time to roll up the sleeves and help his old pal. Izzo said when he called Montgomery Tuesday morning after Monday’s semifinal win over Robert Morris — Montgomery was “bouncing off the walls,” he said — Stephens had just gotten in to help with a film session.
“How cool is that,” Izzo said. “I think, for our program, that hopefully they got something from here — what family means.”
Montgomery’s Titans take on No. 1 seed Wright State (22-11, 15-5) in the championship game at Indianapolis’ Corteva Coliseum (7 p.m./ESPN). The winner gets an auto bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Embedded content: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/more-colleges/2026/03/10/how-to-watch-detroit-mercy-titans-seek-horizon-title-ncaa-tournament-bid/89087610007/
There’s another call Izzo said he’s going to make Tuesday: to Dick Vitale, the former Detroit coach from 1973 to 1977 who went on to become a legendary college basketball broadcaster.
“One of the things I'm gonna do today is call Dick and tell him, Hey, basketball is back at the U of D,” Izzo said.
Detroit Mercy last made the NCAA Tournament in 2012, when it lost to No. 2 seed Kansas in the first round.
[email protected]@ConnorEaregood
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tom Izzo tells Detroit Mercy's Mark Montgomery: 'Win the frickin’ game'
Continue reading...
“Hey Monty,” Izzo said. “Win the frickin’ game tonight.”
You must be registered for see images
Montgomery, 55, was a four-year Spartan letterman from 1988 to 1992 and a captain when Izzo was an up-and-coming assistant for the late Jud Heathcote. And Montgomery also served as Izzo’s assistant coach from 2002 to 2011, before he took his first head coaching job at Northern Illinois, and then from 2021 to 2024 when he lost that job.
Now, Montgomery has taken Detroit-Mercy one win away from March Madness, an impressive feat considering the context. In 2024, Montgomery took over a program that had won a single game in 2023-24, improving the Titans’ record to 8-24 (4-16 Horizon League) in his first season and 17-14 (12-8) this year, led by point guard Orlando Lovejoy.
More: Legendary journey: Detroit duo, friends since 1st grade, has NCAAs in sight
Winning one more game — and getting to the Big Dance — would put Montgomery in elite company, his mentor says.
“It puts you in a different category,” said Izzo, who beat his pupil 84-56 in a game at Breslin Center on Nov. 21. “There’s coaches that go a lifetime and never get there. And I mean damn good coaches.”
If his old boss is one source of support, Montgomery has gotten another in the postseason: Dwayne Stephens, his friend and former MSU teammate who is also another Izzo assistant from 2003 to 2022. Stephens recently was fired by Western Michigan after four years leading the Broncos.
All that means is he has time to roll up the sleeves and help his old pal. Izzo said when he called Montgomery Tuesday morning after Monday’s semifinal win over Robert Morris — Montgomery was “bouncing off the walls,” he said — Stephens had just gotten in to help with a film session.
“How cool is that,” Izzo said. “I think, for our program, that hopefully they got something from here — what family means.”
Montgomery’s Titans take on No. 1 seed Wright State (22-11, 15-5) in the championship game at Indianapolis’ Corteva Coliseum (7 p.m./ESPN). The winner gets an auto bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Embedded content: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/more-colleges/2026/03/10/how-to-watch-detroit-mercy-titans-seek-horizon-title-ncaa-tournament-bid/89087610007/
There’s another call Izzo said he’s going to make Tuesday: to Dick Vitale, the former Detroit coach from 1973 to 1977 who went on to become a legendary college basketball broadcaster.
“One of the things I'm gonna do today is call Dick and tell him, Hey, basketball is back at the U of D,” Izzo said.
Detroit Mercy last made the NCAA Tournament in 2012, when it lost to No. 2 seed Kansas in the first round.
[email protected]@ConnorEaregood
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Tom Izzo tells Detroit Mercy's Mark Montgomery: 'Win the frickin’ game'
Continue reading...
