The one thing that unites Michigan State basketball’s Tom Izzo, Detroit Tigers’ A.J. Hinch

EAST LANSING — It’s so strange going from the gentle warmth of spring training to the excitement of March Madness.

But it does offer a unique perspective. A chance to see things in a different light.

Which is what happened on Tuesday afternoon, as I was walking down the hallway with Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo.

“Just got back after about five weeks at spring training,” I said.

“Ooh,” Izzo said, after his news conference. “How was it?”

“Warm,” I said.

We were heading to the elevator in the Breslin Center, and there was a specific question I wanted to ask Izzo.

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“The one thing that I learned about (Detroit Tigers manager) A.J. Hinch is that honesty is the center, right at the core, of his coaching,” I said. “And I was sitting there listening to you today and I heard the same thing; it’s so similar. So here’s my question: How important is being honest with your players?”

Izzo broke into a smile.

“I know exactly what you’re saying — it’s a million-dollar question,” Izzo said. “It’s a damn good question, and I’m glad you said somebody else thinks like that, because there’s so few that talk about it because it’s not cool, right? It’s not cool to be honest.”

No.

Sometimes, honesty can get lost somewhere between the Twitter-verse and hot-take mentality.

But Hinch and Izzo are so similar in that way.

Neither one will BS a player.

Let’s be honest about something

They have different approaches, of course. Let’s get that out of the way first.

While Izzo cuts open his chest and let’s his emotions pour out. As Marquette coach Shaka Smart told reporters: “Coach Izzo — he lights himself on fire, and he makes sure that fire is so strong and so bright and so hot that it affects everyone around him. That’s Coach Izzo. And he’s done that for a long, long time.”

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Hinch is more like dry ice. With steam coming off the edges. Hinch is calculating and precise with his words, especially when speaking to the media, giving measured soliloquys.

And, in keeping with the theme of the day, I have to be honest about something. I was wrong about Hinch. I thought his superpower — the thing that makes him such a good manager — was his ability to communicate. I’m in awe of people who can speak eloquently, probably because I can’t, and Hinch is a master communicator.

But after talking to him two times a day for nearly five weeks, another layer became clear. It’s not just how he’s saying stuff. It’s what he’s saying, especially to his players.

Hinch is brutally honest with them. He let’s them know everything upfront. Where they stand and what they need to improve and what to expect.

That’s why Hinch called every player into his office at the start of spring training, to meet team president Scott Harris. But more importantly, to lay out everything.

But it doesn’t stop there. It’s not just his words. It’s his actions. Everything is intentional. Hinch put together a spreadsheet, diagramming when players would be cut, stressing over it.

Guys with similar experience — or at similar points in their careers — were cut together.

That’s why Colt Keith and Justyn-Henry Malloy were sent down to the minor league camp together.

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And why Parker Meadows and Andrew Lipcius were sent down together later — they are older, closer to same level of making the big league club.

Subtle messages, maybe. But also hugely important.

Hinch views that as being honest with them.

And Izzo has the same approach when talking to his players.

Nothing is sacred, even when telling them to leave.

“Never, ever, ever have I told the kids something that wasn’t in his best interest,” Izzo said. “I told kids that they should leave, just recently.”

Because he felt it was best for them.

“Hinch says that if he’s honest with players upfront, he can have tough conversations with them, about what they need to do better,” I said.

Izzo was smiling and nodding his head.

“Magic (Johnson) once said to me, early in my career here, ‘the great ones want to be coached, the great ones want to be disciplined, the great ones want to be pushed,’” Izzo said.

And as Izzo said that, it was like listening to Hinch talk about his conversations with Miguel Cabrera.

Starts with relationships

There is another layer to this topic, and Izzo went right after it.

“What would you say is my strength?” he asked me, as we walked.

“Well, now, I’d say your honesty,” I said.

He nodded: “OK.”

Then, he dug into that deeper.

“Some will say, ‘it’s how you teach rebounding, Coach,’” Izzo said. “But I tell you, my biggest thing is, I spend time with my guys. Because if they don’t trust you, it doesn’t matter how honest you are with them.”

Hinch is no different. That’s why HInch went to Puerto Rico during the offseason, to develop a bond with Javier Báez. Because you can’t be honest if you don’t have that trust. That relationship.

Izzo smiled.

“I want to talk to Hinch about that someday,” Izzo said.

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Izzo stood outside the elevator, Mr. March heading to the Sweet 16 one more time, and it felt like we were talking about one of the reasons.

Of why he’s so dang good.

Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @seideljeff.

To read Seidel’s recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

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