YouTube // TNT
Charles Barkley isn’t one to always take the popular opinion or do what’s politically correct, which is why we all love the dude so much. And, as a studio analyst for this year’s NCAA Tournament, the Chuckster wanted to let everyone know his thoughts about that little Tom Izzo scene yesterday, where the Michigan State head coach went off on one of his players, Aaron Henry, and had to be separated by others on the team.
To refresh your memory, here’s what the scene looked like during the Spartans game versus Bradley yesterday.
Tom Izzo going apesh*t on one of his players for presumably going under the ball screen, despite his team playing well and taking control with this steal and layup. 🤦♀️ pic.twitter.com/BbLBDFHiw8
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) March 21, 2019
It looked pretty bad, with Izzo literally going after Henry, berating him and getting in his face. But that’s what a coach is supposed to do, right? Some would have you think otherwise, as reactions to the incident were pretty extreme, with one media member even asking the Michigan State head coach about it afterwards, with Tom Izzo defending his decision to discipline his player.
Tom Izzo was asked about getting after Aaron Henry.
"I don't know what kind of business you're in, but I tell ya what, if I was a head of a newspaper, and you didn't do your job, you'd be held accountable." pic.twitter.com/kqcWykUY6X
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) March 21, 2019
Now let’s get back to Charles Barkley, who said on this morning’s March Madness Tip-Off Show that he was sick and tired of all the “jackasses” from other networks being a little bit to soft with how Izzo treated his player. Point blank, Barkley wonders when it became a “national emergency” anytime a coach tries to coach one of his players. Here’s what Sir Charles had to say.
https://twitter.com/itsnickdimengo/status/1109124804458631169
Charles Barkley gives a solid point here. Did Tom Izzo go a little bit too far in trying to coach and discipline Aaron Henry? Maybe. But his job is to win basketball games — especially when it’s the NCAA Tournament and a single bucket can end a team’s season — so nobody should really have a problem with the Michigan State head coach holding his players accountable. Izzo’s a throwback, tough-minded coach, and this type of stuff is why he’s one of the best in the country, so people need to listen to Barkley and stop being so soft when something like this happens.