Steven Mateen Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans has been making headlines as of late. The 5’8 guard scored his first points for his team coming off the bench against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a dramatic fashion. Before scoring in this game, he had not scored a single point in his college basketball career. Fans and neutrals alike are celebrating this walk-on player’s achievement and sharing their appreciation.
BREAKING NEWS: Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo’s senior son, Steven Izzo gets his first 🪣 as a Spartan. Then, he goes over to give dad a hug before knocking down the +1.
Fantastic. pic.twitter.com/p9k22cLcsr
— FauxCoachWoodard (@FauxCoachWoodar) January 15, 2024
Steven Izzo was born on the 16th of June, 2000. He hails from East Lansing in Michigan and went on to play for the Lansing Catholic High School basketball team, becoming a two-year letterwinner. His high school minutes were limited but Steven kept dedicating himself to basketball. Upon graduating high school, Izzo joined Michigan State University to major in advertising management.
Steve-O aspires to be an NBA General Manager someday. Apart from basketball, he also enjoys watching ice hockey and American Football. Izzo follows Jared Rosburg closely and has admitted to being a huge fan of his. The 23-year-old is an ardent Baltimore Ravens supporter. Interestingly, the first award Steven ever received in life was for a poem that he wrote about his father.
Steven Izzo is the son of Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo
Steven Izzo is the adopted son of Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo. Tom Izzo has been coaching the Spartans basketball team since 1995. He married Steven’s adopted mother in 1992 and they had one biological child, Raquel, before adopting Steve-O later on. Tom has been very candid regarding the story of how he adopted Steven and how their relationship has flourished. It was a private adoption.
In an interview with WLNS6 News, Tom said “There was nothing like that day. It was magical. You didn’t know what to expect. It took about six seconds and I felt no different than I did with [my daughter] Raquel.” His mother Lupe has also expressed how looking back, she cannot begin to imagine how life would have turned out without Steven. A four-day-old Steven instinctively reached out to her.
Steven made it on to the Spartans team as a walk-on in the 2019-20 season, surviving the brutal weeks of summer conditioning a junior. He has managed to stay in the team ever since. His preferred role on the court is as a catch and shoot option. He has been a solid glue guy for the Spartans. Izzo is loved by his teammates and fans alike for his unwavering dedication to the sport he loves.