Video: Meet MSU Athletic Director J Batt
Michigan State University’s new Athletic Director J Batt talks during an introductory press conference on June 4, 2025.
Izzo defends Ishbia as an engaged owner who is learning and emphasizes Ott’s thoroughness and experience working under successful coaches.Ott worked for Izzo at Michigan State and has held various NBA assistant coaching positions before landing the Suns job.
Michigan State men’s head basketball coach Tom Izzo has recently been even busier than normal.
He was present and took the podium at J Batt’s introductory news conference as the university’s new athletic director on Wednesday, June 4, in East Lansing.
Traveling here. Speaking engagement there, but Izzo sees and hears all this “Michigan State Suns” chatter aimed at Phoenix Suns team owner Mat Ishbia, who hired Jordan Ott as his new head coach. The decision came with new general manager Brian Gregory playing a huge role in the process.
All three have a Michigan State connection.
Ishbia was a walk-on player on the 2000 men’s national championship team under Izzo with Gregory as an assistant coach. Later, Ott spent seven years working for Izzo, with the first two as a graduate assistant and the last five as a video coordinator until 2013.
Izzo’s response to this Sparty talk?
Stop it. Nonsense.
“It looks like Michigan State Southwest, but the truth of the matter is, it’s not that,” Izzo said on June 5 in a phone interview with The Arizona Republic.
Izzo isn’t shy about saying Ishbia loves what the Spartans have accomplished and how they’ve done it, but the Hall of Fame coach isn’t going to let that criticism of Ishbia slide.
“He and I talked a lot the last two years, even this past year,” Izzo said. “Owners learn. Coaches learn. GMs learn. I will say this. He didn’t buy the team as a toy like some of these owners do. He’s just got to figure out what it takes to win and I think he’s figured out some of the things he’s done, positively and negatively. He’s got to get some stability. He’s got to figure out his roster and I think you’re going to see Mat more and more visible.”
Ott will be the fourth Suns coach in four seasons since Ishbia acquired the team in February 2023. Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer were fired after each of the last three seasons with Ishbia as the team owner.
Ishbia spoke highly of the new coach.
“He’s great, a really smart kid,” Izzo said about the 40-year-old Ott. “Works his ass off. He’s a guy that has enjoyed the process. He’s really a thorough guy. He worked under some good people. I think (Cavs head coach and 2024-25 NBA coach of the year Kenny Atkinson) is one of the best coaches in the league. That will be a big plus with him.”
The Suns won just 36 games under Budenholzer to mark the first time they’ve had a losing season since 2019-20, which was the last time they missed the playoffs.
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At a Phoenix Suns press conference, team owner Mat Ishbia said he’s setting standards for what he expects from all coaching hires going forward.
Ishbia took responsibility for how the season went, vowed to be more involved and has since elevated Gregory from consultant to general manager in a two-year span and hired Ott after a lengthy coaching search in which more than 15 candidates were interviewed.
“He doesn’t want to be an absentee owner,” Izzo said. “He’s done a lot of things. He can take some crap because he got rid of a couple of coaches, I guess. That could be true, could be false. I’m not there on a day-to-day basis to know, but I know this, everybody got a chance and what you do with that chance determines who you are.”
Izzo concluded by saying, “I’m betting on Mat Ishbia.”
Ott earned his master’s degree at Michigan State in athletic administration. He landed his first NBA job as a video coordinator in 2013 for the Atlanta Hawks under Budenholzer.
Ott then worked as an assistant with the Brooklyn Nets (2016-22), Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24) and the Cavs (2024-25). Izzo sees those experiences helping Ott be ready to take on the challenge of being an NBA head coach.
“He’s been in different places that are really going to help him,” Izzo said. “I hope and pray that he keeps some of what we did because we had great success when he was here, but it’s not a Michigan State Southwest in the standpoint of he didn’t get the job because of me. He earned the job. He went through the process.”
Izzo did suggest to Ishbia to have Gregory visit the Suns as a consultant.
“What we all ask for is an opportunity,” Izzo said. “Well, he just went there a week, a month and then it turned into the next year where he really liked him.”
Gregory became vice president of player programming and served in the role for a year before replacing James Jones as general manager.
Introductory news conference for new Suns GM Brian Gregory
The Phoenix Suns hold an introductory press conference for their new general manager, Brian Gregory.
Jones shifted to senior adviser. His contract expires at the end of June.
“I didn’t surprise me that (Ishbia) hired (Gregory) because he earned his keep,” Izzo said. “There is a process to get jobs. I think nowadays, a lot of guys skip the process. Those two guys (Gregory and Ott) didn’t skip the process.”
Ishbia and Gregory have both stressed the importance of alignment.
Izzo believes hiring Ott strengthens that theme in Phoenix.
“You get everybody on the same page,” Izzo said. “I think that’s one thing that’s been a problem. I think (Ott) is going to do a hell of a job. I really do.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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