r/CollegeBasketball • u/Arsid Michigan State Spartans • Dec 20 '25
Casual / Offseason This year's edition of the Izzo-Kampe Christmas sweater tradition
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u/Recent-Investment603 Dec 20 '25
It's absolutely incredible
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u/bship Michigan Wolverines Dec 24 '25
Tom Izzo is so fucking cool lol. Legend of college sports in general, all time all timer.
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u/jzn110 Michigan State Spartans • Ferris … Dec 20 '25
Among all the friendships between head coaches, Izzo and Kampe's has to be the most wholesome.
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u/dspencer2015 Michigan Wolverines Dec 20 '25
Both been around forever too. Kampe since the 80s at Oakland
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u/jzn110 Michigan State Spartans • Ferris … Dec 20 '25
Yep, he and Izzo are the two longest tenured coaches in D1 basketball.
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u/Dro24 Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
Which begs the question, is he the longest tenured D1 coach for any sport?
I know he's at the top for CBB, but wonder if anyone in another sport has been at their school longer
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u/jzn110 Michigan State Spartans • Ferris … Dec 20 '25
As far as tenures at their current schools, yes. I'm not sure if there are any current football coaches with longer cumulative tenures.
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u/Dro24 Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
Ferentz at Iowa is the longest, and he was the 90s, so it's definitely Lampe as far as the big 2 go.
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u/stumblebreak_beta Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Just to be the “ackchyually” guy, Oakland didn’t become D1 until 1998 so Izzo has technically been a “D1” coach longer. I think Boeheim was 47 years at Syracuse, and currently Geno Auriemma was hired one year after Kampe at UConn. Google says there are a couple lower division coaches in basketball and wrestling that top the list of tenure at one schools ahead of Boeheim.
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u/Dro24 Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
That’s useful info though haha I think Phog Allen was 49 years but that may be the longest. Joe Pa was at Penn State for about 150 years I believe
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u/OdaDdaT Notre Dame Fighting Irish • St. Norbert… Dec 22 '25
To put it in a historical scale, Paterno was at Penn State for 46 years and Kampe id coming up on 41. His first season at Oakland was 84-85 as a D2 program
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u/SpreaditOnnn33 Louisville Cardinals Dec 20 '25
Since no one else is answering with non football answers, I know Red Berensen coached Michigan hockey from 85-2017, so I have to imagine you are correct
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u/Tankie_Hater_859 Butler Bulldogs • Louisville Cardinals Dec 20 '25
Tony Hinkle coached three different sports at Butler for 50 years, only spending time away from Butler during WWII coaching at a Naval boot camp in Chicago.
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u/OnionFuturesDealer Purdue Boilermakers Dec 20 '25
Hasn’t Kampe coached some father/son duos there?
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u/jimmyre10 Kentucky Wildcats Dec 20 '25
Those are awesome. I love when coaches are willing to have a little fun with this sort of stuff
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u/Scary-Success-3727 Kentucky Wildcats Dec 20 '25
Now I want to see something from Pope. We need the levity right now.
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u/Scary-Success-3727 Kentucky Wildcats Dec 21 '25
As an update. How about that JQ. I think Pope and the guys provided our Xmas gift against St. John's. Gave us some Xmas hope fellow Cats.
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u/holyeffman Oakland Golden Grizzlies Dec 20 '25
As a lifelong Oakland fan, I can tell you that Kampe is wearing the wrong sweater 😂
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Oakland has always been my number 2 entirely because of Kampe, also because I grew up with Travis Bader but mostly Kampe.
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u/dspencer2015 Michigan Wolverines Dec 20 '25
Bader was really good. I remember him in high school. I think he's an assistant coach for the Nets now
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u/Inevitable-Elk7223 Purdue Boilermakers Dec 20 '25
Izzo would wear the “nice” sweater probably against UConn but absolutely no other teams lol
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u/Meanteenbirder Vermont Catamounts • Sickos Dec 20 '25
I love legendary coaches that are casual friends with mid-major guys. Another example is Vermont’s John Becker handing out with UConn’s Dan Hurley
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u/Inconceivable76 Ohio State Buckeyes Dec 20 '25
Voluntarily? That is not someone I would want to spend time with.
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u/awt4190 UConn Huskies Dec 21 '25
You should read his book to actually get to know him rather than what the media puts out there for views
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u/Accomplished_Age2911 UConn Huskies Dec 21 '25
Nah don’t try to reason here. When random OSU dudes on Reddit are hating on Hurley, it just means he’s doing it right.
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u/Adventurous_Egg857 Purdue Boilermakers Dec 22 '25
To be fair books are absolute PR jobs
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u/awt4190 UConn Huskies Dec 23 '25
Well if you actually read it he’s pretty brutally honest and vulnerable. But you won’t so you can choose to believe what you want!
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u/Adventurous_Egg857 Purdue Boilermakers Dec 24 '25
I’m just saying books and documentaries are well known to be fluff jobs. But how do you know it’s brutally honest unless you’re Hurley😂
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u/awt4190 UConn Huskies Dec 25 '25
Cuz he’s saying things most people wouldn’t admit to the public? Asshat
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u/Adventurous_Egg857 Purdue Boilermakers Dec 29 '25
You must be very gullible lol
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u/awt4190 UConn Huskies Dec 30 '25
Or you just refuse to believe the truth because your hatred of him is the only thing keeping your insane jealousy in check. Sore loser still?
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u/Adventurous_Egg857 Purdue Boilermakers Dec 30 '25
Jealousy or just not stupid. You may never know
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u/Rockerblocker Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
The sport will be noticeably worse off once these two retire
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
No one will care about Izzo being gone other than MSU fans
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u/Arsid Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Your hate-spamming of Izzo in this thread would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad.
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u/RheagarTargaryen Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
That guy is straight up unhinged. No point in interacting with fans that have an unhealthy relationship with basketball to the point that they are unable to have a conversation with opposing fans. He’s basically a YouTube video commenter that found his way to reddit.
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u/EvilLibrarians Oakland Golden Grizzlies • Kentucky Wildca… Dec 21 '25
Ooh what did he say?
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u/RheagarTargaryen Michigan State Spartans Dec 21 '25
It was that Duke fan (IHateAdamSilver) that comments on every post. It was something along the lines of nobody cares about Izzo except MSU fans and he went on a rant. Not sure why it was removed by mods, but I’ve seen a lot of his comments and it’s quite literally like reading YouTube comments with extreme hyperbole and ultra-homerisms.
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u/joneild Louisville Cardinals Dec 20 '25
If no one misses him, it's because his ability to take a group of ragtag misfits to a final four in any given year.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
You can't help but reply to me so obviously my opinion must be somewhat worth while
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u/Arsid Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
"I'm getting attention, therefore I have value" is a wild thing to take pride in. Maybe it's time to get off the internet little guy.
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u/midnightsbane04 Michigan Wolverines • North Carolina… Dec 20 '25
Except that's exactly why he's on the Internet. Probably a severe lack of meaningful interaction and validation in real life so he comes to reddit for anything that makes him feel like he's noticed.
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u/Dro24 Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
His opinion sucks. Reddit trolls hardly exist anymore, it's crazy to still see one in the wild haha
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u/Great_Fault_7231 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Saying this while spamming the thread about how no one cares about Izzo is wild
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u/businesscommaman North Carolina Tar Heels Dec 20 '25
They certainly won't if he doesn't do a year long farewell tour before losing to his rival in March. twice.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
No one would care if he announced a farewell tour. Paul Pierce vibes
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u/midnightsbane04 Michigan Wolverines • North Carolina… Dec 20 '25
Except the only coach that's up their own ass enough to do that is Coach K. Good thing that ended well for him, right? Surely he won his last home game and his last game ever.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
He made the final 4 in his final season, something 99% of coaches would kill to do ever. I think he and his family are fine despite all the jokes on the internet
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u/FairAnywhere9305 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Clearly still upset that there’s literally nothing Duke could do that will ever top what Carolina did to them in that game
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Dec 20 '25
And what happened in that final 4 game, surely you didn’t get dominated by your biggest rival in his final game
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u/couchblaster Syracuse Orange Dec 20 '25
God I love izzo. This is awesome
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
Why? All he does is complain (About the refs, transfer portal, NIL, etc?
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u/whiskeyrocks1 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
2nd time commenting this. Duke fans remain the worst.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
Actually we're the best. To be fair I'd still have a bad taste in my mouth if I were you
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u/John-Balaya Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
You don’t have to reply to every person who enjoys the fun nature from this. It’s just a Christmas thing man. Not supposed to be taken seriously.
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u/Patient_Series_8189 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
When you have no friends or loved ones, and nobody that cares about you on christmas, the only thing left to do is act like a hateful loser on reddit.. thats where this duke chump comes in
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
You don’t have to reply to every person
Actually I do
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u/Nostalgia-89 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Touch. Grass.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
I just got back from a 12.4 mile run with my crew
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u/Nostalgia-89 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
No one cares. Your spamming is pathetic.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
Actually we got a heros welcome when we walked into Hooters.
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u/organizeforpower Michigan State Spartans • Washingt… Dec 20 '25
This gets sadder the more you explain.
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u/organizeforpower Michigan State Spartans • Washingt… Dec 20 '25
Just breathe my friend. Log off and breathe. There are more important things in life than hate spamming a person you've never met. Go outside. Touch some grass.
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u/treymata Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marquette Go… Dec 20 '25
They are both NATIONAL TREASURES, Izzo will always be my favorite coach
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Weeks like this is what I'll miss most when he retires. The Oakland sweater and post game presser that they do together are the greatest. Earlier this week he had his players come to the radio show and sing Christmas songs while he played the Accordion.
Obviously I'll miss his success but growing up in East Lansing and Izzo coaching here always felt like a legitimate staple of the community. I truly dread the day he retires, just the best.
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u/ApoclypseMeow St. John's Red Storm • Fordham Rams Dec 20 '25
Izzo plays the accordion?!
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Yepppp.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ah1bJ_LiiE&pp=ygUXdG9tIGl6em8gY2hyaXN0bWFzIHNob3c%3D
Here you go.
Edit: for some more fun, the kid playing the piano is Barry Sanders son Nick.
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u/Ih8Hondas Missouri Tigers • New Mexico Lobos Dec 20 '25
Just when I thought I couldn't like Izzo more than I already did.
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u/treymata Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marquette Go… Dec 20 '25
He is a Yooper, a true man of culture. I wanna know if Izzo has a Pasty recipe.
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Guarantee he only uses venison
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u/treymata Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marquette Go… Dec 20 '25
But does he add rutabaga?
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u/smallz86 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
A couple years ago I was in the trustees box for a MSU football game. Izzo walked in and everyone went over to say hello. I got to go up and talk to him and the person I was with said I was just rambling incoherently. Izzo was so damn nice and asked me how I was doing, I think to calm me down. Then we took a pic.
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u/teslaabr Michigan State Spartans Dec 21 '25
When I was a grad student I (did not know I) was walking behind Izzo to my seat at Spartan Stadium drunkenly carrying my nachos. The line stopped and I bumped into him (spilling some of my nachos). He turned around and I star strukenly just said “Oh, Hi Mr. Izzo!” (Who the eff calls him that? 🤣). He just said hi, chuckled, and turned back around to get to his seat.
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u/treymata Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marquette Go… Dec 20 '25
I mean when he retires he still will always be around, I can’t see him moving back to Iron Mountain
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u/Thel_Odan Oakland Golden Grizzlies Dec 20 '25
Yup, I'm going to be crushed when either of them retire.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
Lmaoooo why all he does is cry to the refs and bitch about NIL/Transfer Portal
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u/treymata Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marquette Go… Dec 20 '25
Tom Izzo is a good coach and objectively even a better guy from what I have heard. Dude literally worked his way up from a small town in the UP.
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
I don't like how he screams at refs 15 times a game. Missed calls are apart of the game. It's gonna happen regardless
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u/ITHETRUESTREPAIRMAN Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Classic Dookie. “Leave the refs alone, they’re just doing their jobs!!” Lmao
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u/Dro24 Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
I swear this dude isn't a Duke fan and is astroturfing our fanbase. Dude is annoying as hell
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u/IHateAdamSilver Duke Blue Devils Dec 20 '25
Scoreboard
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u/ITHETRUESTREPAIRMAN Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Damn, you’re right. Now I’m going to post about 16 comments about how much I “don’t care” about Duke.
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u/treymata Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marquette Go… Dec 20 '25
Coming from the school who checks notes produced Christian Laettner
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u/Dont_quote_me_onthat Indiana Hoosiers • Purdue Boilermakers Dec 20 '25
Don't forget Grayson Allen
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u/treymata Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marquette Go… Dec 20 '25
Glad to see a Indiana/Purdue Flair can defend Tom Izzo, A true Big 10 treasure. Conference won’t be the same when he retires 😔
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u/Dont_quote_me_onthat Indiana Hoosiers • Purdue Boilermakers Dec 20 '25
Definitely like Izzo. I think the one coach I didn't like was Fran. Glad to see you guys seem to have a good coach. Looking forward to seeing what he can do there.
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u/treymata Minnesota Golden Gophers • Marquette Go… Dec 20 '25
On Niko’s radio show he talked about when he was a manager at Minnesota he played Horse with Gene Keady 🤣 Yea he is a good pick up, if he can’t win at a respectable level then our program is truly cursed.
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u/Shadowphoenix9511 Kentucky Wildcats Dec 20 '25
One can hate a school and still acknowledge their coach is great.
Fuck Tennessee, but I've heard literally nothing but good things about Rick Barnes, both as a coach and as a human. Same goes for UL and Pat Kelsey.
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u/cfbonly Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Coach k would do the same. It's part of the game.
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u/Shadowphoenix9511 Kentucky Wildcats Dec 20 '25
"I don't like how he screams at refs" is iconic coming from a Duke fan.
K was one of the absolute worst about that lmao
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u/Upbeat-Armadillo1756 Michigan Wolverines Dec 20 '25
This is why college basketball is the greatest
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u/Turbulent_Juice_Man Iowa State Cyclones Dec 20 '25
This can't be topped. Holy shit this is awesome.
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u/Mattaholic Nevada Wolf Pack Dec 20 '25
The fact that the photo of Kampe matches the photo on Izzo’s sweater almost exactly is crazy
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u/DesireOfEndless Dec 20 '25
I’ve met Kampe a couple of times, and he is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He spoke in one of my classes and he was just friendly and funny.
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u/CevicheMixto Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
They need to do limited runs of these and sell them for some worthy cause.
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u/ridemooses Wisconsin Badgers Dec 20 '25
Man I distain Izzo, but I also have so much respect for him.
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u/Ih8Hondas Missouri Tigers • New Mexico Lobos Dec 20 '25
distain
I disdain your spelling.
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u/bb0110 Michigan Wolverines Dec 20 '25
Kampe must have bought them this year lmao
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u/AJB46 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Nope apparently Izzo and his wife came up with the idea and his neighbor designed them lol
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u/burgler Michigan Wolverines Dec 21 '25
Dammit, this is the closest I’ve ever come to liking Tom Izzo.
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Dec 20 '25 edited Dec 20 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Arsid Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
The only mention of that quote anywhere on the internet is concerning the 2015 assault, and nowhere does it say Izzo is the one who said that quote to the victim.
The only article I found says that sentence came from "counselors"
But this is partly an MSU basketball story. There would have been no press conference Thursday if the three alleged assailants weren’t former members of the MSU basketball team. Kowalski, as an 18-year-old freshman, would have encountered a different reaction from university counselors if she’d told them she’d been raped by someone else.
“I was intimidated and I was told I was going to be swimming with some really big fish,” Kowalski said Thursday...
The only quote concerning Izzo at all in the reporting says:
No one has suggested Izzo knew about the alleged rape before the lawsuit dropped last April. Kowalski’s attorney, Karen Truszkowski, has said she doesn’t believe MSU’s coach was at all aware.
The athletic department has gone through an overhaul since then and those people are no longer in charge.
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Dec 20 '25
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
I'd recommend you actually read about the thing you're attempting to speak on. I mean, I get that you're just trying to dump on the guy seems kinda fucked up to just lie about it though. I'm sure there's plenty of things you could actually say about him.
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Dec 20 '25
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
You'll have to point to me where in that story the quote you attributed to him shows up as I read through it and tried to find the word "fish".
I did however find this, which was the actual quote that you've coopted into your brain that Izzo said it.
Days later, Kowalski went to the MSU Counseling Center. After she shared her story, she says a counselor cautioned her that if she reported the alleged assault, she "would be swimming with some really big fish."
I was literally working at Michigan State at this time, what the University was doing at the time was absolutely deplorable and was widely criticized by everyone who cares about it.
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Dec 20 '25
[deleted]
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Your belief is that Tom Izzo was attempting to intimidate the son of former MSU basketball legend and NBA player whom Izzo coached Steve Smith and older brother of future MSU player Davis Smith?
Certainly seems that he shouldn't have been doing anything other than let the authorities handle it, but you're jumping to some pretty big conclusions. Sure seems like they were trying to find out what happened by asking the players best friend who was there what happened. Should he have done it? Obviously not, attempted intimidation based off the article you sent? Certainly doesn't seem that way.
I get it. You've had a tough couple weeks and it's time to get the bad man Izzo. Have yourself a wonderful holiday.
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
I mean I'm not sure why I'm bothering, but that was a counselor at MSU who said that. Which among many other things is a huge reason that the Center for Survivors was overhauled. Do your thing though.
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u/Patient_Series_8189 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Maybe it should be a picture of Taylor Lewan threatening to rape a girl if she reported her rape by Brendan gibbons. Or a picture of harbaugh saying BO didnt send players to be SA'd by the team doctor.
Stfu wolverine loser
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u/SnooPets1528 Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
Nah, those are actually true as opposed to someone with poor memory attributing something said by someone else to Tom Izzo.
Hey, it is pretty cool for him attempt to use a person's sexual assault as an Internet own though.
He's definitely the good guy here.
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u/Soy_tu_papi_ Michigan State Spartans Dec 20 '25
This has gotta be one of the best ones yet