In this interview segment of the Draymond Green Show, Draymond Green asks former Michigan State star Mateen Cleaves to describe Tom Izzo not just as a Hall‑of‑Fame coach but as a person who profoundly shaped his life. Cleaves recounts how Izzo’s mentorship felt like a father’s love—hugging, encouraging, and holding players accountable through relentless practices, early‑morning meetings, and tough‑love critiques (e.g., being called a “fat‑ass” and being taken out of a national‑TV game to protect his reputation). Both Green and Cleaves reflect on how the intense, sometimes grueling, environment (3 am meetings, strict role enforcement, discouraging poor dribbling) ultimately raised their performance levels and forged character. Green admits he once didn’t understand the yelling but now sees it as a sign of Izzo’s commitment to his players’ success. The conversation underscores Izzo’s unique blend of demanding discipline, personal care, and belief that players can become better than they think, making him a rare figure admired by NBA players who often lack such deep connections with their college coaches.
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What's up everybody? It's Draymond Green. Make sure you subscribe to the Volumes YouTube channel below so you don't miss any more of this great content going forward. What I want you to talk to me more about is Coach Izzo. Just the guy that he is. Like I said in my speech last night, like I'm gonna ride for you forever. Now, you know, I get a crack outta talking to dudes in the locker room like, yo, your coach really don't bang with you like that. You go around the NBA and like you talk to guys, it's baffling to me when I hear guys talk about their coach. Like I don't understand that. That don't register with me that you don't like your college coach or that you can't just pick up the phone and call your coach and he gonna answer or I'm fucked up and he hop on a flight and land at 11:00 PM and leave at 6:00 AM just to see me. It don't register with me when I hear guys talk about that. I saw it with you and I'm like, wow, I want that. But just talk to me more about the guy, not the coach. Everybody know the coach, everybody know the Hall of Famer, but I just wanna hear about the guy.
Man, and it's funny, man, and I am getting emotional when you talk about him 'cause Man, that dude right there, like that part, throw the coaching out the window. Like we know all that, good coach, great coach. It's that, man. Like the talks that you have and that when you go in his office, he ain't the coach no more, man. He just like, damn near like a father and talk to you. He had a way with you, man. And he would, he, Man, he got the best outta me like none other. And when I first got up here, I didn't like it. I didn't, man. I was, I ain't know why, why he was always on me, man. Like if you pass the ball to somebody, they didn't make a shot, it was my fault. I ain't understand that. And he brought something outta me that I didn't even know was in there. I was a leader and I was, but he took it to a whole nother level. But it's them talks, man. When he just put his arm around you and talk to you and tell you how much he love you and care about you. He don't even bring up basketball sometimes. And that's what, that's why I'm so glad I came to Michigan State. That part, man. He would put his arm around me, man, and hug me and tell me how much he loved me and cared about me, man. And that's why, I would run through a brick wall for him. I know he had my back and I had his. And for me, and just like my parents, my mother and father, I was raised by great parents. So I was used to that. And he just, when I came here, he gave me that same feel from when I left the crib. But it's that part, you know what I mean? That part when he talked to you, man, and I never wanted to let him down.
Mm-hmm.
When he said, we gonna win a national championship here. I was gonna do everything in my power to win a national championship here. It was two people that believed that. Two people, man, me and him. And every time I came on the court, I gave everything I had 'cause I ain't wanna let him down, man. And that's what make him special. I know you love him the way I love him. But that dude is something special, man. And it pisses me off, and I'm gonna address this real quick, when people say shit like, "Can he relate to the players now? And is the game passing him by?" Hell, man, are you crazy? Are you crazy? The people that come here that really wanna be great, we love him. Shit. 'Cause he gonna get the best outta you. He gonna push you to a whole nother level. I wanna be, he used to tell me, "Hell, I want you to be better than what you want yourself to be." Mm-hmm. And that used to drive me so much, man. So if you wanna be great, this is a hell of a place to come. Yeah, he gonna hold you accountable, but you know he care about you. You know he got your back. So hold me accountable, I'm with it. But I'm glad you asked me that, man, because that dude right there is special. The hell with the coaching, he's special, man. He did something for me, man. I'll never forget it, man. He made me a hell of a person, man. Yeah. Him and my mother and father, I had great parents, but that him right there, he made me a hell of a person. Be able to overcome the challenges you go through in life, that feeling sorry for yourself, he ain't with that. That ain't happening. You have a bad game, so what? Let we on to the next one. So it was that, man, that I, it's priceless. I can never ever repay him for some of the things he did for me. You know what I mean? That's why I wanna repay it and give it back to everybody else.
No doubt. I think for me, I always tell people like, and it's exactly what you just said is, I never understood the yelling early on. Like the fucking meetings till 3 o'clock in the morning. But then, Once you go through it and then you don't have that anymore.
Right.
It's like, then you want it back. You know what I'm saying? Like, you want the 3:00 AM meeting back.
Right.
You know what I'm saying? Because you get out in the world and you realize motherfuckers don't care about you like that.
Man.
You know what I'm saying? Like, it took me a while to understand when he's, "You're fucking fat ass, get in some shape." And it took me a while to realize I was like, yo, all the yelling, all the screaming, the fussing, pissed off. This dude, this dude is chasing success for me harder than I'm chasing success.
Right.
And it got to a point for me where I'm like, as you just said, I can't let him down.
Right.
Like, yeah, I wanna make it to the NBA. Like, absolutely. But I can't let him down.
Right.
Because he's chasing this for me harder than I'm chasing this for me. And so then what does it do? It raises your level or you fold.
Right.
It raises your level or you fold. And I've seen so many people fold to it. When I was here, before I got here, after I left, I've seen so many people fold to it. And it'll piss me off if somebody, when people would say, Izzo holding somebody back. Or he ain't letting such and such do this. He won't let that guy dribble. And I'll tell him, he won't let him dribble because he fucking dribble off his foot when he dribble. I ain't really seen him tell somebody who can dribble not to dribble. But I have seen him tell someone who can't fucking dribble not to dribble.
100%.
You should go run this wing. You should catch and shoot.
Right.
Right away. If you just go do that, you can actually get to the NBA. But once you start dribbling and dribbling off your fucking foot out of bounds, you can't get to the NBA.
Yes.
And so it was, that was one of the things, and still to this day, that would bother me because it's like, oh man, he puts you in this box.
Man.
He put you in the box you belong in.
Right, exactly.
Because for me, there wasn't no 4 men dribbling the ball up the floor.
Floor?
Nope. But I showed him I can dribble the ball up the floor. And what did he do? He encouraged it.
Right.
Hey, you get the ball, go. Keep the ball low, keep it out in front. That's how you make the plays. You can see the next play if you here. But if you got the ball back here and now you trying to make a play, you can't make a play.
Yeah.
You know what I'm saying? And so to hear people say stuff like that, it will bother me. You know what I'm saying?
Can I chime in on that?
Absolutely.
Yeah, I'm sorry. I don't mean to cut you off, little bro. No, go ahead. But you right. Like that part, like, nah, you can't dribble. So you're not finna dribble here. You know what I mean? You're not a shooter. Go get a rebound. That's what great coaches do. I remember, man, we was playing the game on national TV, man. He took me out the game. That's my man. I love him to death, man. I'll never forget this. He took me out the game, sat me next to him. He said, I took you out. "'Cause you looking bad on national TV. I ain't finna let you, I'm doing you a favor 'cause you looking terrible on national TV. Get your shit together, man. Now go back in." That stuff, you know what I'm saying?
Absolutely.
Like that stuff. Like he said, "I'm taking you out, I'm doing you a favor 'cause you looking terrible." I said, I was mad and I started laughing. You know what I'm saying? Then he say, "Now go back in." Like when they had a hell of a game. But it's little stuff like that, man. You know what I mean? Right. You damn right. Like, yeah, I'm with you on that, man. I'm gonna ride for him. Shit, all day.
